


Weary

by asongforjuliet



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Mutual Pining, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn, Vaginal Sex, cursing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-08
Updated: 2019-05-25
Packaged: 2019-07-27 23:15:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 34,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16229321
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/asongforjuliet/pseuds/asongforjuliet
Summary: Anne is tired. Tired of being not good enough to move up at a job she's damn good at. Tired of renting an apartment that is too expensive and too small. Tired of the noise of Zuzu City and tired of men being assholes (not including one night stands). She's not expecting to see a familiar face from when she moves to the Middle of No Where, otherwise known as Pelican Town. The stars have put weirder shit in front of her.





	1. One Year Ago

**Author's Note:**

> It's ya girl back at it again with a new fandom because I cannot help but love this game. Come talk to me on tumblr @asongforjuliet!

Sal's wasn't anything special. Dim lighting, music that was loud enough to force a person to lean in close in order to hear another, and cheap wells. It was the cheap wells that really saved the right from being a complete shit show, Anne thought as she threw back the tequila and slid it back to the bartender. Picking up her mixed drink and pasting a smile onto her face, she made her way towards the group of coworkers already celebrating. It wasn't like she didn't like Steve. He wasn't an asshole and in his obnoxious way, he could even be kind. Maybe that was why she had slept with him. Lots of muscle, little brains but he had kindness, and she had a type after all.

It wasn't like she hadn't deserved the promotion. She had definitely deserved the promotion but this wasn't the first time Anne had been passed over for a promotion and she knew she worked harder than Steve did. She just didn't kiss her manager's ass like he did. Instead, she stuck to the outer edges of the group, finding more entertainment in her phone than the people around her.

"You look like you'd rather be anywhere else than here," a voice pulled her from her screen and the usual 'fuck off' died on her lips as her eyes landed on the man all in black. Not her usual type but definitely more interesting than Facespace. 

Lifting her drink to her lips, Anne took a moment to sip it and collect her thoughts. For a moment, it seemed that the longer it took for her to say something, he would get more nervous. Instead, he just pulled out a pack of cigarettes and started to smoke. "You wouldn't be wrong on that. Mind if I bum one off you?" The pack was tilted her way, his thumb on the lighter - holding it in place against the cardboard. Anne let out a sigh at the first exhale, "Thanks. So what brings you to come bother a person who obviously doesn't want to be here?"

Ah. There was the nervousness that she had thought she had seen, hastily hidden behind a puff of smoke, "You see the two behind me, a blonde and one with purple hair? I may have - ah - lost a bet."

Anne snorted, finishing off her drink, "Fuckin' perfect. Well this isn't as shitty as the night I've been having, at least. What's the punishment then? For losing the bet?"

His face became red, even in the dim light, making Anne smile lightly. She rather enjoyed that look on him: slightly uncomfortable but still attempting to act as if he didn't care, "Either your number or for you to buy me a drink."

"Oh shit, they go hard don't they?" she laughed, "At least it wasn't creepy or something - like getting me to go home with you or something. Do you have a name or am I just going to call you Tall, Dark and Handsome all night?"

"Annie! You doing okay?" Steve's voice cut through her good mood, making her fingers tighten slightly on her cigarette, "Didn't want you to feel like you were being left out." His frame loomed over her as he leaned on the table, "Did you want another drink?"

She pasted a smile on her face, "Not being left out at all. My friend here was just about to buy me a drink, but thanks. You should go back. I'm sure there are still people that want to congratulate you on your promotion."

"Thanks Annie, it was stiff competition. I swore you were going to get it," a look of surprise appeared on his face, like he couldn't believe he had said that out loud, "Oh, shoot, sorry. I know you really wanted it. If it makes you feel better, I really hope you get it next time. You really deserve it."

She slid off her bar stool, "I'll try again next time. Go enjoy your party Steve but I'm going to get that drink."

He grabbed her arm and quickly pulled her close for a moment; long enough to mumble into her ear "Just be safe, okay?" before letting her go. 

"I'm not an idiot," she shot back to him quietly, turning back to her stranger who simply stared at the pair of them as if he weren't bothered by the interaction in the slightest, "So, about that drink."

"It's Sebastian - my name, I mean," he told her pushing his hair out of his face as Steve walked back towards the group of people who were steadily cheering louder. "Should I be worried about him? I'm not going to find my tires slashed or anything right?"

Anne let out a bark of laughter, "Steve? God no, he's harmless. Dumb but nice." Snuffing out the butt, she turned to Sebastian, "I'm Anne, by the way, and you're getting me a shot."

He let her lead them to the bar and order the pair of drinks, dutifully pulling out a bit of gold to pay for it without complaint. The tequila burned like cheap liquor always seemed to do as she tossed it back and Anne couldn't help the small smile as Sebastian let out a quiet cough. 

"It's not great stuff, is it?" she asked, leaning on the bar.

"I'm pretty sure you can use that as an all purpose cleaner," he agreed with a slight laugh, "Definitely not what I'm used to having."

"Yeah? So why come here tonight then?"

Sebastian turned and ordered another drink, a beer this time, for the pair of them, "My friends and I wanted to get out of town for the weekend. Figured ZuZu City was as good of a place as any and figured this bar would have the necessary things a bar should have."

"Shitty booze and bad lighting?"

"You're drinking the shitty booze," he countered, sliding a beer her way, "But yeah, that and new people. I'm not the best with them - hence why that was what I had to do when I lost my bet."

It was a pale ale, not awful, Anne found at the first sip, "Yeah? What about the others? What would they have had to do?"

Sebastian grinned, and Anne found her heart jumping at the sight. Which was weird in itself. Her heart didn't /jump/. "Sam - the blonde - he was going to take over that karaoke stand and do a performance and Abigail - the one with purple hair - she was going to have to try to get everyone to line dance. She /hates/ country music."

The pair shared a laugh. Anne had been coming to this bar for years now and had yet to see either of those things happen. Hell, she wasn't even sure if the karaoke stand still worked or not. Sebastian actually laughed when she told him that, causing her to grin over the rim of her glass. 

"So what's the deal with that party?" he asked, waving in the general direction of her co-workers. 

She sighed, "Not too long of a story. Steve got a promotion. I didn't. We're here to celebrate him and I'm trying to not be bitter about it." 

To his credit Sebastian didn't push the subject, instead he took another sip of his drink, "If you want, we could just get out of here. My hotel's nearby." His words were calm and, if Anne hadn't been looking at him, she would have thought he was confident given how smoothly his words came out. But she saw the red appear on his face and the way he looked at anything besides her. 

Maybe that was why she had agreed, laughing lightly as his eyes widened. It was odd, she realized as she set down her drink and pulled him close, that she had laughed so much this night. But as she leaned in to kiss him, her mind went pleasantly blank as he met her. "Let's get out of here."

The taxi was a mix of quiet laughter and kissing, as if Sebastian still couldn't believe this were happening. It was beyond endearing and, as they entered his hotel room, Anne wondered for a moment she had rushed into something that could have been better than just a single night.

Her back against the door and his lips against hers erased those thoughts and immediately, her arms wrapped around his back. Her fingers clenched and unclenched as his lips traveled down to her neck, nipping occasionally but harder where neck met shoulder and Anne found herself letting out a groan at the mix of pain and pleasure. 

His hands skirted the bottom of her shirt before sliding up her back, skin against skin. She followed his movements, his hoodie falling to the floor for a moment before his hands were back on her, and Anne found hard muscle under the black fabric. Then Sebastian's lips were on hers again and she felt his grin as his hands moved to cup her breasts, thumbs gently brushing over her nipples, her bar moving uselessly up. 

"God, you're gorgeous," he murmured as his hands moved to take her shirt off.

"Bet you're happy you lost that bet then, huh?" Anne gasped as she felt his teeth graze her neck again, the cheap wood of the door cold against her back. She felt his grin against her again as he moved them towards the bed, like he knew she was getting cold, but couldn't think on it for too long as she fell on the comforter, Sebastian looming above her suddenly without a shirt. She wondered for a moment how he lost it. 

Heat radiated from him and Anne suddenly felt small for the first time in a long while under his gaze. She knew she'd never be the small petite woman that some men found attractive, she was closer to six foot than five and worked out too much for some men. Yet, under his hot gaze, Anne found herself squirming in anticipation. "Real fucking lucky," Sebastian told her, cutting off her train of thought as he leaned down again to pay attention to her neck, fingers deftly twisting at her nipples, "Though I didn't get you to buy me a drink," he added before taking a nipple in his mouth.

"Maybe," she gasped, fingers going to thread in his hair, "if you're good, I'll still give you my number. But you have to be very good."

His hands had drifted as she spoke, lips moving to her other breast and teeth alternating between gentle grazing and quick harder bites, pulling her skirt up, "I can be incredibly good for the right incentive."

She snorted, "Way to sound like a shitty romance novel. I'm into it."

"Oh thank god, it was really weird," he laughed, his hands deftly removing her panties before spreading her legs slightly, "If you're still into it then, is this cool?" His fingers moved upward, causing electricity to run up her legs in time with them, to circle her clit lightly. 

She moaned, her legs spreading more to give better access, "God yeah, I'm good." Her hips moved with his movements as she pulled him closer to kiss him deeply, another wimper escaping her as his free hand came back to her nipples, alternating between gentle and harsh. Her orgasm came over her like a wave, her back arching and fingers scraping against Sebastian's back. "You've got a condom?"

He nodded against her neck, "Yeah. Yeah, just - gimme a second to find the damn thing." 

It was strangely cold as he moved off of her, pulling her skirt off her legs as he went, which made her laugh more. Her hair was in her face - the dark auburn sticking to a corner of her mouth - and Anne hurriedly pushed it aside as Sebastian let out a noise of success. He was pale, like he didn't get enough sun, muscular but still lithe - so different compared to others she had been with. And he made her laugh. All of this was so different. Still, Anne's breath seemed to catch in her throat as she met his eyes and saw a hunger in them, one she knew she also had in her own eyes. After shedding his pants, Sebastian once again loomed over her for a moment before kissing her again, as if he were worried she'd disappear on him. Anne clung to him, feeling the hefty weight of him against her leg, kissing him back with the same energy. 

She watched, heavy lidded as he slid the condom on, lips tilting into a smile as she saw the size of him. Not as long as some she had seen but thicker than most. His face reddened when he realized what she was staring at, causing her to chuckle again, pulling him close to kiss him as he entered her. His lips swallowed her gasp at the sensation and her legs immediately went around his back, trying to pull him in deeper. 

Sebastian in return bracketed his arms around her, lips moving to her neck and Anne couldn't stop the moan that escaped as he began to move at the same time he bit the juncture where neck met shoulder. Her fingers carded through his hair again, tugging harder than before, and was rewarded with a heady groan as Sebastian continued to move above her. He moved his fingers back to her clit and Anne found herself unable to do anything except ride the waves of pleasure that seemed to surround her. 

"God you're so gorgeous," Anne heard him mumbling against her neck, "You feel so good." Her eyes fluttered shut as her fingers tightened against his shoulders, "Yeah, you're good baby, ride me just like that, fuck you're doing such a good job." 

It was either his fingers, his cock or the words tumbling from his lips that pushed Anne over the edge again but her voice didn't seem like her own as it escaped from her lips, fingers scraping his back as he seemed to quickly follow. 

The pair stayed where they were for a moment, their panting the only noise in the room before it was broken by a loud yawn escaping her. Sebastian laughed, rolling off of her and Anne watched as he tied the condom off and tossed it in the trash with a distant awkward feeling. 

As she was about to get up to get dressed, already coming up with what she was going to say to leave, Sebastian's arm wrapped around her and drew her close, "This okay?"

"Yeah, it's fine," she told him, helping him pull the sheet around their shoulders. She was tired anyway and she could always leave in the morning. Yeah, that would work out just fine anyway. At least, that was what she told herself as her eyes drifted shut and the warmth behind her lulled her into sleep. 


	2. Spring, Year One: Part I

"Steve, what the fuck? How could they pass me up for this shit again? I trained Brian and I know for a fact he's not ready for this promotion," Anne asked, anger barely contained behind the closed door of her friend's office.

"Annie, c'mon, you know I fought for you to get that promotion. It's bullshit that you're not moving up. We both know it. But you know how Joja is. Brian is Regina's son or cousin or something. She's a CFO. We both knew he was going to climb faster than anyone."

Anne shook her head, "No, I'm done with this. I'm over paying out the ass for an apartment and working to the death for a job that won't fucking let me move up or give me anything besides a cubicle and trainees who are going to be my boss. I'm quitting. Where's Faith?"

Steve moved from his leaning position on his desk but Anne had already opened the door of her friend with the occasional benefit's office and was looking for her direct supervisor. The short woman wasn't hard to miss with fiery red hair and a personality like she was trying to make up for her lack of height. "C'mon Annie, don't do this. You're a great employee and Joja really respects-"

"Don't bullshit me Steve, I told you what I'm going to do. I'll go out on the farm. Take over what my gramps had left behind."

He froze, like he had forgotten her backup plan. Still, Anne continued to her boss's office, ignoring the closed door and the surprised look from Brian and Faith. 

"Anne, we're in a meeting. I'd appreciate it if you would -" Faith's irritation was palpable and it only increased when Anne cut her off. 

"Don't worry, this won't take long. I'm quitting. Effective immediately. I'll email Nathalie my forwarding address for my last check. You can get my stuff at my desk."

She didn't bother waiting for a response. Instead, Anne went back to her desk and gathered the few things she kept in the cubicle before leaving the office all together. Her fingers were already tapping against her phone's screen, ordering a ticket for a bus to Pelican Town and calling her landlord to find a new renter. Gramps had stuff at his place, there were vague memories of her parents talking about the house when he had passed, and she wanted out. Now.

Her clothes were easy to pack away - there weren't many of them - and before she realized it, Anne was on a bus to the small town that she had never seen before. 

* * *

The house was nothing like she had expected. One room with a small bathroom to the side and absolutely no kitchen to speak of. Apparently her gramps had thought it was best to just eat at the saloon than bother with it at home. Or maybe he just liked his vegetables. It was out of Anne’s hands now, either way. At least he had left her some tools with Mayor Lewis, though it had taken her nearly a year to get to this place. 

And what a place it was. Anne had spent the majority of the day clearing out just enough space to plant the parsnips that Lewis had left her and surveying the land. The place was overrun with trees and debris. But it was hers and hers alone and, fuck, it felt nice to have that space.

The scythe felt good in her hands, making the time where she suffered through arm day worth it. It stretched muscles she didn't know she had but, by the afternoon, she wasn't exhausted. That in and of itself felt like an accomplishment. And if she fell asleep before 6 every day that week, well, there wasn't anyone around to comment on it. 

By Friday, she was sore but had a crate full of parsnips that she could call her own. With pride, she counted the gold she had made from the sale at Pierre's, pack full of seeds and head full of introductions. There had been more people than she realized in this town, all eager to meet the new farmer. It seemed that Lewis had mentioned to more than one person that she had moved into town. There was Caroline, Pierre's wife, and Gus - who had invited her to visit the bar, first drink was free - and Elliot. All interesting people and nothing like what she had expecting in moving to Pelican Town. A pleasant surprise given how she had left Zuzu City. 

The thought made her smile as she passed by the bus stop, broken down bus waiting on the road. Tonight was a night for celebration: to her first harvest and to not fucking it up. Anne nodded to herself, reaching for her ax out of the chest where she kept her tools, yeah, she definitely deserved at least a small celebration for this but first things first: she had to plant a few more seeds if she wanted a second harvest. 

Anne planted cauliflower for some lady name Jodi who had requested it, potatoes for simple meals on the campfire she had set up and tulips for a splash of color in her otherwise boring house. By mid afternoon, she was sore again - though not as sore as she was the first day she had begun - and more than a little dirty. A fast shower managed to get most of the soil off of her, though her nails would take a bit more to get rid of the grime, and Anne felt more human than she had in her four year tenure working at Joja Corp. 

The Stardrop Saloon's jukebox played a cheery song as Anne entered, surprised that she wasn't the first to start drinking that day. Some man stood near the fireplace, sipping a beer and barely gave her a second glance as she waved to Gus.

"What'll you have?" he asked as Anne leaned on the gleaming counter. 

"Whatever you've got on tap's fine with me," she told him, sliding onto an empty seat. She thanked him as the glass was slid over, "How long have you been here?"

"In Pelican Town? Oh goodness, I'm not even sure of how long it's been at this point. At least twenty - maybe twenty five - years, I'm guessing. Have you met Shane yet? He's new to the area too, it's been about a year since you joined us, right?" Gus turned his attention to the man drinking by the fire, who looked put out to be joining the conversation.

Still, he nodded, finishing off his drink, "Yeah, last winter was the year mark for me and Jas. Hurrah." He sounded like he'd rather be anywhere else than next to her but stayed for the refill that Gus hurried to get him. Anne didn't bother trying to keep a conversation with him and Shane quickly left as soon as the woman behind the bar slid him another drink.

"Don't mind him, he'll warm up to you after a while," her smile was conspiratorial, as if Anne needed to know that information, "I'm Emily, part timer here. Are you planning on growing peppers?"

"Huh? Oh, maybe. Not sure yet. Depends on the next harvest I guess and what I can grow," she took a sip of her beer, watching as a blonde lady loudly ordered another drink. 

Emily stuck by her as others walked in, pointing them out and adding tidbits of information, "That's Leah, big fan of our salads but she'll drink you under the table, mark my word." Occasionally, she'd refill Anne's drink without being asked, "That's Marnie, Shane's aunt, sweet lady. I think she has something with Lewis but you didn't hear that from me."

It was a calm Friday night, in Anne's book, as she watched the others interact. Robin came in with what appeared to be her husband and the pair started dancing, which made her smile slightly. It was the loud laugh pulled her attention to the back room, making eye contact with a vaguely familiar girl with purple hair. Anne watched as the other woman's eyes widened before her lips split into a huge grin and she launched herself at one of the men playing pool, pointing at her. 

Her brows rose as another vaguely familiar face came into view, his face partially hidden by his dark hair but it was the look of wanting to be anywhere other than where he was really stuck out to her. She smothered a sigh, took another sip of her drink before miming smoking to him as the memories started filtering in. Her lips twisted into a satisfied smirk at the the group's reaction; from Sebastian's - that was his name, she realized -  nod to the other two's look of surprise.

"Will you keep an eye on my drink, Em?" Anne asked, looking back at the woman who had stayed to watch the scene unfold.

"Only if you tell me what that was all about," she responded, sliding the drink behind the bar with a wink, "Something tells me there's something special about you."

Anne snorted as she felt the heat from Sebastian behind her, "I really doubt that." Her attention turned to the man looking at her as if he had seen a ghost, and she slid off her stool, "Looks like you need a smoke more than I do. Is outside okay? Doesn't look like this place accepts smoking."

"We definitely don't," Emily called, not bothering to pretend to be busy. Anne let out another snort of laughter even as she started walking towards the door. Robin's eyes were on her, expression confused before brightening measurably as she looked at Sebastian. 

She waited until there was a cigarette in her hand and she had taken at least one decent drag of it before saying, "Wasn't expecting to see you here.  You weren't joking about the small town vibe, huh?"

"What are you doing here?" Sebastian still was looking at her as if she were a specter coming to haunt him and only him. 

Anne rolled her eyes, "I didn't hunt you down or whatever. My gramps left me his farm, y'know, Mossy Groves? Ring a bell? Stop looking at me like I'm some fucking stalker or something."

He ran his free hand through his hair, stress nearly pouring off of him, "No, you don't understand. This messes up everything." His eyes darted to the window and Anne's followed him, watching the blonde guy he had been playing darts with talk to Robin excitedly as the woman with the purple hair hung back with an expression Anne was all too familiar with: a mixture of cheerful and determined, like she had pasted it on so that others wouldn't see her actual emotions. "Shit, Sam's telling my mom. That means everyone's going to know and then Abby's going to know. Fuck, this is the worst thing that could have happened."

"Why don't you tell me what's actually going on and maybe, just maybe, it's not all fucked," Anne told him, letting the butt fall before snuffing it out with her shoe, "Instead of just complaining about it."

"I may have said that we were dating." The words came out in a rush and, for a moment, Anne thought he was joking but the fact he was still biting his lip stopped her laugh after a few moments.

She pushed her still damn hair out of her face where it had fallen free of her ponytail, still chuckling, "So you're telling me that we've gone back to grade school? You told your mom you were dating someone that you fucked one night like a year ago, so what? Tell her you were lying."

"It's not like that," she watched Sebastian run a hand ran through his hair again and Anne wondered if it was as soft as it looked, her memory failing her, "I didn't tell my mom. I told Abby, the one with purple hair. A few months after we," he gestured between the two of them, a move Anne found both endearing and mildly irritating, "she really started putting down heavy signals that she wanted something from me and I - I just," he shrugged, "It seemed like a good idea at the time."

"And you can't tell her because?" Anne asked, her tone mild.

He groaned, "Because then it'll go back to that awkward she wants something from me that I do not want from her thing."

She rolled her eyes again, still laughing quietly, "This is the dumbest thing I've done in a while and I fucking left my job to work on a farm but do you want to keep dating then? Since you're too chicken shit to tell this girl you don't want to date her."

"I'm not chicken shit," he shot back, eyes widening as he registered the rest of her words, "Really? You'd do that? Because I know this is an awful thing to ask and I totally would get it if you didn't want to but, man, I'd owe you so much if you would. Abby's one of my best friends, I don't want to screw that up. Besides, I think my sister is into her and I really don't want to mess that up -"

"Has anyone said you talk too much?" Anne asked, another chuckle slipping from her lips as she reached for his hand and pulled him towards the door, "C'mon my beer's gonna go flat and you can buy me another drink. If we're doing this, we're going to need to get our story straight. I think Gus might have an open table we can steal or something."

Sebastian followed mutely as they re-entered the bar, Anne still laughing quietly as Emily handed her back her drink which hadn't gone flat (though was slightly warmer than when she left it). Her eyes scanned the open area, eyes landing on a table tucked into the corner by Leah, who seemed to be distracted as she carved into a block of wood. She tugged Sebastian's hand gently in that direction, heedless of the eyes that seemed to be on them for a moment before returning to their own business. 

"So," she murmured, standing closer than what was necessary to have a decent conversation, "How'd be start dating? Or do you want to get us that drink now?"

He cleared his through, fingers twitching like they needed something to hold onto or something to do, "What do you want to drink?"

"Anything's fine. I'm not picky about it," she shrugged, "No tequila shots though." Her shit eating grin failed for a moment before she forced it back, "Another beer or a water, if you want an order. I have a farm to take care of, so we can't stay out too late. I'm still trying to get on an earlier schedule."

He nodded seriously, before heading back to the bar, quietly talking to Gus as his fingers tapped an intricate beat on the counter top. Anne bit her lip lightly as she watched him, trying to remember more of that night and this idiot who had been so different from others she had been with. Her eyes met the woman with purple hair - Abby - and Anne's lips quirked into a welcoming smile. Abby matched it and quickly waved before going back to the back room with Sam as Sebastian made his way back to her, two beers in hand. 

Quickly draining her own, she happily took the one he offered, "My hero, so now that you're done stalling. How did we start dating?"

"I don't know if you remember much of that night but there was this whole bet that I lost," he trailed off as Anne gave him a half shrug, "Well it was either you buying me a drink or me getting your number. I ended up saying you did and we had been talking for a few weeks. Then that once summer started, I drove up to see you and things just progressed from there. It was a good reason to leave town when it got too stifling."

Anne took a sip of her drink, more for a chance to collect her thoughts than to actual drink anything, "I mean that seems fair. I'm pretty shitty with relationships anyway so a long distance thing would be good for me. And the fact I happened to have a farm here just ended up being a good fit for the both of us. We both knew it was going to happen but I told you it was next week, not last week. I'm bad with dates too. Names, I can remember well enough but ask me to remember a birthday and I'm screwed."

That got a small smile to appear on Sebastian's face, a victory if there ever was one in Anne's book. "Anne, right? I didn't make up that name, did I?"

"Nah, you got it," she finished her drink, before leaning up and kissing him lightly on the cheek, "Want to walk me back to the farm or do you want to hang out with your friends some more? I guess I should probably meet them, huh?"

His eyes were wide, like he hadn't expected her to kiss him, "Yeah, probably, but let me walk you back to your farm. I've kind of hit my limit with people today."

"That's fair. I get those days sometimes too. It's been nice, being on Mossy Groves, hard work but nice. There's so much to do and I've been trying to make this scarecrow since there are apparently crows that want to eat fucking everything here," Anne complained as she followed him out, waving to Emily as she went, "But people don't really come around that often so it's been mainly me with my thoughts. Dangerous stuff, y'know?"

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Sebastian's shoulders shrug, "Wouldn't really know. People don't give me a bunch of time alone." There was a pause as they left the town before he spoke again, "Why are you doing this? For real now."

"For real? You seem like a decent enough dude and I'm a pretty terrible person who doesn't care if she lies to an entire town." It was Anne's turn to shrug this time, "I moved here from a dead end job a week ago with zero plans and lucked out into actually liking what I'm doing. And from what I remember, I enjoyed kissing you. It wouldn't be an awful thing for me to do that again."

"You don't have any trouble saying what you want, do you?" Sebastian asked with a surprised laugh, "Yeah I would think that would have to happen again. Is it okay to think that's cool with you?"

"Uh, yeah, I'd be totally fine with that. I mean, you haven't gotten worse since we hooked up, have you?" she teased, heading up her stairs before turning to face him completely, her back on the door. She grinned at him, which he slowly returned. Even though it was dark, the only thing she could liken the smile to was the soft glow of the sun as it rose and Anne was suddenly struck with the realization of what they were doing. "Why aren't you dating anyone anyway? Why'd you have to fake a girlfriend?"

He shoved his hands in his pockets, the smile fading slightly, "Dunno. I wasn't interested in the people here. Besides, I plan on leaving as soon as I have enough money for it."

She pushed herself off the wall, "That's fair. So we have a time limit on our fake relationship. Good to know." With practiced movements, Anne pulled Sebastian closer to her, "Now, were you going to show me that you haven't lost your skill or do I just have to assume?"

He chuckled, the heaviness of the previous conversation dropping away as if it hadn't been there before, "Insatiable. We only started dating." Still, his hands slid out of his pockets and one ran through his hair.

"Pretty sure we've been dating for almost a year. I'd say I've waited long enough for a decent make out session," she teased, happy that she still had to look up to meet his eyes, even if it was only barely. It was silly and Anne knew she’d regret it later on, especially after Sebastian moved away, leaving her to deal with the repercussions, but when his lips touched her own with a quiet huff of laughter, she couldn’t bring herself to care. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, thanks for sticking around! I really appreciate it.


	3. Spring Year 1, part ii

To: Anne  
That cauliflower is huge. How are you going to lift it?

To: Steve  
With my muscles! [attached: .jpeg]

To: Anne  
!!!!! My arms have nothing on you now. Maybe I should get a farm. It’s doing your body good ;)

To: Steve  
Fuck off. This is my thing now. Besides my bf might not like this.

To: Anne  
Lmao oh yeah forgot about him. How's the nerd?

To: Steve  
Totally fine and not a nerd. Well kind of a nerd but the hot kind.

Her phone buzzed again as Anne slid it into the pocket of her rain jacket, bending down to lift the crate of newly harvested vegetables with a quiet grunt of effort. The cauliflower had come out better than she had planned, though none had compared to the one she had shown Steve. He had been worried when she had gone radio silent - the house not having a compatible outlet for her charger - and had effectively blown up her phone when she did finally convince Robin to come down to fix it.

The rain beat down on the window and Anne could hear Nem snoring loudly from her spot on the rug. Marnie, who was far nicer than her nephew, had found a dog who had clearly seen better days and decided that Anne would be the perfect owner for her. Of course, she had fallen for the scruffy pooch as soon as she had laid eyes on her and Nem had been nothing but loyal since realizing that she had a home. Pelican Town was as safe as any place could be - most people hardly even locked their doors during the day - but Anne couldn't help but be grateful to the large dog for making her feel just a bit safer. Her old apartment had left that to be desired and, while she loved the farm, sometimes the vast emptiness of it all made it feel all the more susceptible to an attack.

Tucking her hair under the hood of her jacket, she quickly left Mossy Groves farm and headed into town, crate in hand. The tulips could wait until tomorrow to be given out but if she wanted to get that silo started tomorrow, Anne would have to first go to Pierre's to sell her wares. Having a few chickens on hand would probably help her through the winter months. Not that she was entirely sure of how to take care of them but she was sure that Marnie would have some thoughts on how they could be raised.

"Mornin' Pierre," Anne started, sliding the wet crate, "sorry about the water. It's pouring out there." Making sure she kept the cauliflower she had planned on giving to Jodi in the wooden box, she gently placed the rest of the vegetables - cauliflower, potatoes, parsnips - on the counter, "I thought you might be interested in the latest harvest."

"These all look great! Give me one second and I'll count out what I owe you," Pierre told her, holding up a parsnip.

As he measured out each vegetable, she glanced around the shop, "It's quiet today, is that normal when it rains?"

"That Joja Mart representative came by the other day with coupons for half off everything," Pierre grumbled, "I'm assuming people are shopping there."

Her palm went to her forehead, "Oh Yoba, I'm sorry. I completely forgot about that."

He shrugged, "They'll be back. Joja doesn't have the quality goods that Pierre's does." Anne had to bite back a smile as his chest puffed up in pride as he spoke, "And they don't have Farmer Anne's goods, either."

"Oh, they're not that great yet. I just need to save up for some good fertilizer and then we'll be in business," Anne mumble, face reddening, as a small bag of coins was pushed in front of her, "Thanks though. I'll probably be back tomorrow for more seeds. The surplus from last time really helped me stay on top of everything." He nodded, waving to Gus as he entered, and Anne quickly made her retreat.

Under the awning of his shop, she surveyed the main walkway of the town. It was mostly empty, a few people walking quickly to their destination and for a moment, Anne felt a wave of...something wash over her. Maybe it was peace? It didn't seem like it yet but perhaps it was contentment, she reasoned, taking a deep breathe before heading towards Jodi's house. For the first time in a long time, she was doing something on her own terms and actually enjoying it. Her body was getting used to the heavy work, if the calluses on her hands had anything to say about it, and her skin was becoming a lovely shade of bronze she hadn't seen since she had quit using a tanning bed.

The grin on Jodi's face made the trip more than worth the bit of rain but it was Sam that followed her out as she started the trip back home.

"So, you and Seb, huh? How's that going for the two of you?"

Anne shrugged, the crate bouncing lightly off her leg, "Fine I guess? I mean, it was kind of a happy accident that I was able to move down here. Beats doing anything long distance."

He nodded, shoving his hands into his jacket. His expression turned pensive, "Yeah. Between the two of us, I think Abigail was hoping that it was a joke."

"Sebastian may have mentioned that. It's not really my place to get in between that though, is it? I mean, it's not like I really know her."

"Just, don't hold it against her if it takes her a bit of time to come around. Most of us grew up together so we all just kind of figured we'd pair off y'know?"

"Not really but, it's crazy how shit can change because of a bet right?" Anne asked, sarcasm bleeding through her voice, "I don't get it but I'm not going to be a bitch about it. I have a farm to run and really don't have the time to worry about someone being upset I'm seeing someone else. It may make me sound self centered but," she shrugged, "Sebastian makes me happy and I hope I make him happy too. And if I don’t, I hope he finds someone that does make him happy. Does that satisfy your curiosity?”

“For now.” Despite her blunt words Sam still was grinning at her, as if she had said something kind. It was strange and she wasn't exactly sure how to respond to it so instead of doing something an adult would, Anne simply waved a farewell and quickly retreated back to her farm.

Which seemed like a perfectly normal response to her.

* * *

 

She left the Community Center feeling more confused than ever. What was it that she had seen down there? Those little balls were definitely not rats like Lewis had said they were. Seeing the rain still pouring down, she turned back into the rundown building again. The small creatures weren't there as she went from room to room, though she swore there was something moving out of the corner of her eye. It was in the room farthest from the exit, the room dark enough to makes Anne think that this was the beginning of a horror film, that she saw the golden plaque on the floor. Another movement out of the corner of her eye and Anne swore she saw something disappear just as she looked up at it.

Crouching down, she let her fingers run across the only thing in the building that wasn't covered in a layer of dust. The writing inscribed on it was completely foreign to her and she traced it gently as she stared at it. It was beautiful but it didn't keep her attention well enough to keep her there for longer than a few minutes.

Throwing her the hood of her rain jacket up, Anne started trekking to the Cindersap Forest in search of a distraction. There was a good chance that she'd find some forageable plants that she could sell and her gold was running dangerously low after the last batch of fertilizer she had purchased from Pierre.

"Hey, what're you doing out here in the rain?"

"Just exploring the town," Anne said with a shrug, falling in line with Sebastian, "What about you? Don't you have some loner stuff to do?"

He huffed out a laugh, tilting his umbrella so that it covered her as well, "You can sometimes see frogs when it rains by the lake but I like to go to the ocean and watch it too. It's best enjoyed alone, I think."

If that wasn't a hint, she would chop off her hair and turn it into a wreath. Instead of pushing, Anne brought up something she had realized after the trip to the bar, "I don't have your number. Pretty shitty boyfriend if I can't even harass you when I want."

He groaned, "Oh god, that's right. Here, take my phone and text yourself. That works out, right?"

She grinned, taking his cell from him, "Sounds like a plan. And now, I can text you for a booty call whenever I want, right?"

Sebastian's choked laughter made the statement more than worth it. She watched as his face reddened, "I mean I guess you could do that if you wanted to. Has anyone even been over to the farm yet?"

Waving to Jodi as they entered the town square proper, Anne threaded her fingers through Sebastian's, "Unless you count dropping off a dog or handing over some blueprints for a furnace, no one's done more than say hi. Your mom did give it a bunch of shit when I first moved in though. I think she wants me to hire her to build a kitchen."

"Yeah she does that, you know she built our house on her own right?She's real proud of it."

"It's good to have something you're proud of," she hesitated for a moment before adding, "I don't think I had that before I came here."

"You do now?"

There was surprise in his voice and Anne realized that he was basically a stranger still in this. That they hardly knew each other hit her hard and yet, she nodded, "Yeah, I guess. I mean, I never really made anything of my own back in Zuzu City. It was all premade stuff and mindless work. There's something about growing things and not completely fucking it up." She dropped his hand as they made their way to the beach. There were a few shells out that she spotted and wondered if Willie would have a spare bucket she could borrow so that her backpack at least would be a mess of mud and water. "I'll let you enjoy that ocean, yeah? There's some things here I think Willie's interested in buying."

He nodded, eyes already on the water, "Sure, that's fine. I might text you later. Go over our story."

"Ah so no booty call from you then?" she teased, watching his face get red again, "That's fine. We've gotta be ready for all of the questions I'm sure everyone will ask that no one has asked yet."

"You're crazy. Joking around like that all the time," he mumbled, though his lips had tilted into a half smile, "But yeah, might as well be smart about it y'know."

Shoving him lightly, Anne pushed him in the direction of the pier, "Have fun being, I dunno, introspective or whatever."

There was something incredibly entertaining about the quiet huff of laughter that he made as she walked across the sand.

* * *

 

To: Sebastian  
What's this egg festival thing? I just got a letter in the mail yesterday???

To: Anne  
It's way too early for this. It's a stupid festival that the whole town goes to. Egg themed shit.

To: Sebastian:  
It’s barely 8 am. How us that early? And that sounds like fun?? Tell me why it's stupid again

To: Anne  
Eggs are gross. We used to do a rotten egg toss but Mayor Lewis made us stop.

To: Sebastian  
You don't like eggs. Got it. Also, that sounds fucking awful.

To: Anne  
Marlon likes to hide eggs really well and then we don't find them until summer.

To: Sebastian  
You're gonna make me throw up omg

To: Anne  
Sam sat on one once. Smelled like that all day.

To: Sebastian  
I hate you. I hate this. I should have texted Emily. You're the worst fake boyfriend ever.

To: Anne  
lol

To: Anne  
I’ll be over in twenty so we can go together.

She tossed her phone onto her onto her bed and stretched. Her plants had been watered and, with the festival happening soon, she hadn’t bothered attempting to clear out the grounds further. Anne watched from the porch steps as Nem bounded across the fields towards her. Anne couldn’t help but let a loud ‘oof’ as her dog launched herself into Anne’s lap. Nem’s left ear flopped uselessly on her face, a byproduct of some fight she had gotten into before she had decided to stay with Anne, as she scratched her dog’s cheeks.

It would be their first real time being out together since she had agreed to pretend to date Sebastian. Absently, she kept rubbing Nem’s face, reaching for the pack of cigarettes she had finally bought from Pierre, and wondered what her parents would think if they knew she had agreed to do something like this. Lighting one, she breathed deeply as Nem huffed out a complaint as the petting stopped. God, she hadn’t thought of her parents in years now. Even now, the fact that they had come into her mind made her frown as she blew out a cloud of smoke.

“That has got to be the ugliest dog on Yoba’s green earth,” Sebastian’s voice pulled her out of her own thoughts. His complaint didn’t stop him from sitting next to her on the porch and reaching over to scratch Nem anyway, “This is the one Marnie dropped off, right?” Anne nodded, the urge to not leave her home rising up suddenly. She took another deep breath from her cigarette instead. She didn’t look at him but felt his eyes on her, “Hey, are you okay? We don’t have to go if you’re not feeling well.”

“And if I’m not feeling sick but just want to keep you here all day? Preferably in my bed?” Anne tossed back,.

He leaned into her, plucking the cigarette from her fingers but didn’t move away as he snuffed it out, “I would be okay with it but Lewis is a stickler for these festivals. Really wants us all to be there for them. But I can compromise with you. If you can stay long enough to finish the Egg Hunt, we can go early. It’ll be fast anyway since Abby always wins the damn thing.”

“And what if I win? Do I get something for it?”

“I mean you won’t but Lewis tends to have a pretty decent enough prize.”

She watched as Sebastian hefted himself off of the porch steps and held his hand out for her to follow. They were both grinning, “What if I don’t want what Lewis gives me?”

“Then what do you want?” He pulled her up and the pair started their trek to the town square. If their hands were still interlocked, Anne made no move to release him.

She pretended to think for a moment, “I want you to come home with me and make this thing worth it.”

“We’ll see if you win or not. What are you going to bet if you lose?” he asked as they passed the bus stop.

Anne tugged him a bit closer as they neared the town proper, “Dunno. I’d offer a mind blowing blow job but I’m not sure if you’d be interested.”

“You swear it’s mind blowing?” his voice was teasing but in a glance, Anne saw the red in his cheeks, “I mean that sounds like a pretty good bet to me.”

“Yeah, like you’re not winning in both of those situations,” she laughed as she passed Pierre’s booth. She stopped for a moment, spotting a few seeds she hadn’t seen before. “Wait, I want to see Pierre’s selling. Do you want to come with me or do you want to meet up with Sam and Abigail?”

He shrugged, his free hand sliding into his pocket, “I can stay with you as long as you don’t try to force me to have any of the food.”

Almost without thinking, the fingers in her free hand turned into a gun and shot him, “Deal. I might have a field bar in my bag too if you get hungry. Hey Pierre! What’ve you got here?” Her lips tilted into a smug smile as Pierre showed her the strawberry seeds, hearing Sebastian lament dating someone who used finger guns so easily. The price was a bit stiff but she handed over enough gold for two packs. They’d be great for the next spring. Especially if she could remember to plant them at the beginning of the season. But it was the large pink bunny that caught her attention. Maybe next year, she’d get it.

Far past the buffet tables, Anne saw Emily talking to Jodi and Sam and Abigail by the edges of the town square. It was easy to tug Sebastian down to her level - god she really enjoyed that he was taller than her - to kiss him lightly before pushing him towards his friends with a promise of joining him soon but she could tell he was reaching limits of how much he could stand being in a crowd. Was it strange that she could tell that already? She had always been sensitive to the needs of others, ever since she was young. Not that she could explain that to him, not now at least, but Sebastian seemed grateful enough to meet up with his friends as he squeezed her fingers lightly before leaving.

“You two are just so cute,” Emily told her, her bright smile still in place, “We’re going to have to have a chat one day about how y’all met. But we have more pressing things first: eating as many egg based things as we can.”

Anne laughed and allowed herself to be pulled towards the buffet table with a small wave to Jodi as she went.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, thanks for sticking with me. Lots of things have been going on with me lately and it's just meant that I've been putting off things I actually enjoy. Regardless, thanks for reading and if you want to chat I'm on tumblr @asongforjuliet
> 
> Also the rest of the Egg Festival will be in the next chapter so don't worry about finding out if Anne wins or loses her bet.


	4. Spring, Year One part iii

“I think they’re going to start the hunt soon,” Sebastian said as Anne finally said her goodbye to Emily and made her way back to his side. Casually wrapping her arm around his waist, she let out a small groan which made the group laugh and Sebastian muttered, “C’mon that attitude’s not going to win you any bets.”

“Thought that’s what you’d want me to do,” Anne shot back, listening with half an ear as Abigail and Sam joked about last year’s festival. The chatter was light hearted and, if Abigail shot Sebastian more than a few glances, Anne didn’t bother mentioning it. It was clear that the other woman was attempting at least to not let it affect their friendship and she could respect that. Still, she didn’t move from her fake boyfriend’s side until Lewis called everyone who was participating in the egg hunt to the center of the square. 

Laughing, Sam and Abigail tugged Anne towards the group. Sebastian - the traitor - simply laughed as they left, waving as Anne turned to stick her tongue out at him. Hearing Sam laugh at the display, she tossed a grin at him before focusing on Lewis, basket already at the ready. Abigail and Jas were already poised to run as soon as Lewis gave the signal to start. 

Anne was moving almost as soon as Lewis told them too but already Abigail was off like a bullet. Spotting a brightly colored egg hidden by Jodi’s house, she hurried towards it before rushing to the next one. After her sixth egg, she saw Sebastian out of the corner of her eye laughing to himself though at what, she wasn’t sure. Her fingers curled around a seventh, then eighth egg and had spotted one behind Lewis’s truck when she saw Jas searching as well, her basket significantly less full compared to Anne’s own basket. It only took a few moments to say something louder than necessary to have her notice egg behind Lewis’s truck and she was on her own again, barely managing to find one more as Lewis called an end to the hunt. 

Jas had managed to beat out Vincent, much to the younger boy’s horror and the girl’s delight. She shot Anne a victorious grin before going to high five Shane. Sam’s basket was strangely wet along with his shirt: most likely the reason for Sebastian to start laughing, Anne assumed as Lewis counted out Abigail’s basket along side her own. 

Six. Seven. Eight. Lewis only had one egg in his hand when he counted out nine and Anne let out a whoop of joy when she realized she had won.

"I thought you had it. You were so fast," Anne said to Abigail, "Were you in track or something?"

Abigail grinned, no trace of ire that she had lost on her face - something that Anne respected, "Yeah. Went to state my senior year for cross country but I tried the hurdles whenever I could. Good job on that, I haven't lost in years." She hesitated for a moment before adding, "I saw what you did for Jas too. That was really nice." It was said quietly, like she wasn't sure if Anne would be upset if she said it louder. 

Instead of focusing on it, Anne shrugged, "This town's full of real nice people. Figured I'd try to not stick out too much by being too much of a bitch."

Abigail snorted, "I doubt anyone would think you're that." She hesitated a moment again, like she wasn't sure if she should speak more or not. 

Thankfully - or perhaps not - she didn't have to say anything as Sebastian dropped a straw hat on Anne's head, "Congrats on winning. You've won a hat and a bet."

"You guys are still betting things? What'd you bet this time?" Sam asked, tossing a careless arm over Abigail's shoulders, ignoring the screech of horror as his wet shirt covered most of her arm. 

"It's how we met," Sebastian shrugged, face reddening as that particular part of her memory came back to Anne.

She leaned in, as if giving them a secret, "He's secretly a romantic and the bet's a secret. It's no fun if everyone knows." The other two laughed, even as Abigail's seemed a bit forced as she wiped the egg off her arm and back onto Sam's shirt. "But I’ll be honest, this was a lot of people.” It wasn’t a lie, she hadn’t expected to see everyone in town appear for this event. Sebastian wasn’t joking when he said that Lewis liked everyone to make an appearance, “I’m going to head back and decompress a bit.” Turning to face Sebastian, she leaned up to kiss his cheek lightly, catching part of his lips as he turned to face her and causing them both to laugh quietly. “I’ll see you later?”

“You should walk her back,” Sam interjected, cutting off whatever Sebastian had to say. Anne watched as Abigail winced at the suggestion. It was slight but noticeable for anyone who was paying attention. “I’ve got work in an hour and didn’t Maru ask if you wanted to play video games?” The question was directed at Abigail curiously. 

“Yeah, I wasn’t sure what we had planned so I told her I’d get back with her,” she mumbled, pink dusting her cheeks, “Guess that settles it though, if we weren’t planning on hanging out afterwards.”

Her phone vibrated and Anne surreptitiously checked it as Sebastian agreed to walk her back to the farm.

Mom:  
Passing through Zuzu City! Do you want to meet up for dinner? Your dad and I would like to catch up with you.

Her eyes stayed on the screen for a moment longer, absorbing the words, before shoving the phone hurriedly into her pocket. The weight of Sebastian’s arm around her shoulders, familiar yet not, pulled Anne from her thoughts. She made pleasantries while Abigail and Sam were still around though her mind seemed to focus on the message on her phone. It was like the woman had a sixth sense to text her whenever Anne thought she had distanced herself from her parents. 

She needed a cigarette. Or a drink. Or both. 

It wasn’t until her feet hit the dirt path that she realized that Sebastian had lead her out of the town. He looked at her with a mixture of worry and confusion but didn’t press her for more information when he asked. She carded her hand through her hair, letting the ponytail fall out as she moved towards her home. 

“You don’t have to stay,” she told him, eyes trailing to where she knew the northern exit was, “there’s not much in the house except the bed and I don’t want you to feel like I’m pressuring you into whatever.”

She started slightly, feeling the warmth of his fingers sliding through his hair, “Seems like you could use a distraction.” There was a slight pressure on the back of her head from those fingertips and she followed his direction, hands coming to grasp his hoodie lightly and face tilting up to meet his questioning eyes. Her lips tilted into a smile, softer than she had planned to make, and immediately she felt his lips on hers and his hand cradling her head. It was a nice way to pretend, like she meant something to him instead of it being a means to an end for both of them. Still, she let herself be lead into her house and towards the bed. 

As they tumbled onto her bed, her knees bumping the corner, Anne let herself be swept up by the rush of heat the seemed to appear whenver she touched the man above her. His hands cradled her face as the electricity between them grew and the hand that had cradled the back of her head, clutched at her hair as his other hand dragged teasingly along her side. Her legs parted, almost automatically when she fell, welcoming his warmth as she clung to him. 

"I didn't bring a condom," he mumbled, leaning back. Anne could hear the embarassment in Sebastian's words and reached up for him. He came back to her easily, allowing her to kiss him hard enough to make him groan. 

When she finally released him, his eyes darkened with a hunger that Anne knew she matched, "I've got some in the end table."

His hands moved back to her sides, sliding her shirt off, "Always prepared, were you in Scouts as a kid?"

"My folks made sure I was ready for anything," she confessed, feeling her cheeks heat up even as Sebastian said something affirmative. His fingers tapped a pattern across her skin as she moved to nip at his neck, making him groan, his fingers tightening against her side before moving to remove her bra. 

She wasn't sure if she was supposed to hear his mumbled, "Yoba, you're so beautiful," as he made his way down her neck, biting lightly as he went. He paid special attention to the space where neck met shoulder, making Anne gasp and clutch at his shoulders, as his hands teased her nipples. 

Hurriedly, she pushed his hoodie off and scrambled for his shirt, letting out a sigh of satisfaction when she could feel his skin against her own. The flickering light cast the room in a barely there glow, making Sebastian's hair have nearly a purple tint to it. The thought drifted through her mind as she felt his tongue trail a path down her chest and his hands work on the button of her jeans, and she left herself be pulled back into the moment. Matching his movements, she pushed off her jeans before working on his, reveling in the groan as she fisted his cock in her hand. 

She licked her lips as she continued to jack him off slowly, the murmurings of praise against her neck sounded like music even as one of his hands travelled down to circle her clit. It was the praise the made her stop moving against him, clawing as his shoulders as his fingers continued circling at a fast pace that only went faster as she heard a keening noise - hardly recognizing her own voice - before Sebastian devoured it as he kissed her harshly. 

It was like she was breaking apart and being put back together simultaneously.

When he finally decided that she had had enough, Anne watched with heavy lidded eyes as he leaned back and reached towards the end table, licking his fingers as he went. His chuckle drifted over to her as he pulled out packet of condoms, "You weren't joking about being prepared, huh?"

"If you're really good, I might let you have more than one," she shot back, using her elbows to prop herself up.

"If I'm really good," he scoffed, sliding the condom on and moving back to her, "pretty sure I was really good a few minutes ago when you were scratching lines onto my back."

A laugh escaped her, "Come back here then. Make it worth my while."

Her laugh was even louder as he joined her, covering her with his body. Her lips met his and she could feel his grin against her even as his hands moved against her side, teasing. Wrapping her legs around him, Anne pulled Sebastian close and let her fingers drift through his hair, tightening as he entered her. 

He kissed her again, deep and filthy, as he began to move. His pace made her gasp and clutch at him as he mumbled, "You feel so good. Fucking perfect. You look so beautiful like this." The praise covered her like a balm, making her cling to Sebastian and break apart once more. Moments later, he stuttered against her, breathing harshly as he fell to her side. Chest heaving, Anne watched as he pulled off the condom and tied it off, letting it fall in the trash bin under the end table. The dim lighting behind him cast as shadow across his face.

“It’s late,” Anne started, watching as he pulled on his boxer briefs once more, “did you just want to stay the night? Make the walk of shame in the morning?”

“I actually have a job I need to finish.” Though there was regret in his voice, Anne still felt her stomach drop at the rejection, “I’m glad you offered though, wish I could stay.” 

She shrugged, pushing a grin on her face, “It’s fine. This was just an added bonus to our deal right?”

He nodded, shrugging on his hoodie. “Best deal I ever made too. Abigail might actually be giving up the ghost sooner than later too. Then we can put this whole thing to rest.”

“Eager to be rid of your fake girlfriend so soon?” Even in the dark, she knew Sebastian was blushing. The thought made her smile even as she waved him out, “Go, get on out of here. I might show up in the next few days though, fair warning. I need to talk to Robin about some upgrades and pricing.”

He nodded, “Just come knock on the basement door. Hopefully I’ll have my work done, otherwise I’ll still be awake from the night before.”

Anne waved him off again and watched from her throne of pillows as he left. If the house felt a bit smaller when he left, she ignored it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's shorter than normal, I know but it felt like the right time to end it. Bless y'all for sticking with me.


	5. Spring, Year One: Part IV

“Hey Robin,” Anne said, letting the tool swing slightly by her side, “I hear you lost your axe.” She leaned on the counter, letting the axe rest on the space in front of her, her smile wide. The seasons were changing, growing hotter as it grew closer to summer. Still, it wasn’t the oppressive heat that seemed to permeate from Zuzu or the other cities she had stayed in as a child.

The other woman’s eyes widened as she grinned brightly, “Anne, you are a lifesaver! I had to use another one and almost chopped my toe off.”

She winced at the thought. “Glad I found it then. Sorry it took me a bit of time though. What were you doing in that area of Cindersap though, if you don’t mind me asking.” This hadn’t been the first time she had been inside Robin’s house, but it was the first time she actively looked around. It was easy to spot the stairs that clearly lead to the basement. Unconsciously, she licked her lips before turning her attention back to Robin, “I hardly go in that corner unless I’m looking for some onions.”

“Do they bloom there? I’ll have to check it out. Joja always charges too much for those,” Robin told her, setting the axe in its clearly designated place, “I was chopping a few trees. I thought I had put my axe back in the cart when I was taking everything back but I must have missed it.” She gave a conspiratorial smile before leaning closely, “Sebby’s in his bedroom, would you mind telling him I need to run to Pierre’s for a quick grocery run?”

Jumping slightly at her words, Anne nodded, “Uh, yeah, sure I can do that.” God, this town was weird. No one locked their doors and now this woman felt completely comfortable leaving her house with a near stranger in her house. Still, she made her way downstairs and knocked gently.

Sebastian was behind a computer in the corner of the dimly lit room and Anne took in as much as she could while he finished up his work. There were comics in the bookshelf and she aimlessly stared at the titles, not recognizing any of them. Then again, she had never been much of a reader. There were a few interesting choices that made her stop and pause for a moment, contemplating what it might be about.

“Sorry about that, I had to finish up this part of a project for a client.” He stretched, giving Anne a moment to eye the skin that appeared when his shirt rode up, “Did I ever tell you I’m a programmer?”

“I don’t think so, but it’s good information to have.”

A ring sounded from his computer, causing his attention to turn before Anne could say more and for Sebastian to sigh once he read it, “Sam wants to hang out.” She watched, rooted to the spot in front of his bookshelf, as he ran an hand through his hair, “I don’t really want to be around people today. I’ve been working most of the night anyway.” Given that it was already after nine, Anne wondered if he had bothered to sleep at all in that time. She was rewarded with a slight chuckle and a shake of his head, “I don’t really sleep much at night. Might as well work if I can’t sleep, right?”

She moved towards him, staring at a computer that had writing she couldn’t comprehend and moved her fingers through his hair. It was an intimate move, one she didn’t feel wholly comfortable doing with even the closest of friends but, as Sebastian tilted his head back and let out a sigh of satisfaction, Anne felt a burst of warmth shoot through her. “What are you making for them?”

“Just adding on to their website, making it more user friendly and efficient-”

“Sebby, I’m back from Pierre’s,” Robin called to him, letting the door burst open, “I spoke to Abigail and she said she might stop by.”

Lifting his head up from her chest, Anne watched as his shoulders tensed, “Did you tell her I was working?”

Robin nodded, looking amused at the two of them, “I did but she said she’d probably stop by anyway. Figured I’d let you know before I go back to manning the shop.”

She felt the rumble of his groan as Sebastian let his head fall back onto her, “I don’t think anyone understand what I do. It’s not like I’m online all of the time. I can’t just be interrupted whenever they get bored.” He hesitated for a second before adding on, “Would you mind doing that...finger thing again? It felt really nice.”

“Yeah, I can do that but get out of that chair, you’re back is going to kill you after a while,” Anne told him, “I don’t have much of much to do today, so do you mind if I just steal a comic and chill here for a while. It might keep Abigail away if she knows your girlfriend is down here with you.”

He nodded, stretching again as he stood. She could hear his back popping from the movements and wondered how long it had been since he had taken a break. “You’ll like this one. It’s got a kick ass spy in it but everyone thinks she’s this quiet librarian.” She raised her eyebrows at the description but when she went to take the book from him, frowned as it was pulled out of her hands. “I’ll lay on the couch, you read and do that finger thing with your other hand, deal?”

She laughed, “You little shit, yeah it’s a deal. Though if you wanted to just snuggle on the couch you could have said something.” The satisfaction Anne felt from seeing the blush rise to his cheeks made her smile grow even further, even as she followed him to the ancient looking sofa. “You read the book,” she ordered, letting her fingers slide back into his hair, “I’ll just drop it on your face if I have to do both things.”

He huffed out a laugh, the movement travelling up her legs, but didn’t argue. His words were smooth and calm, so different from the man she had met a year ago who obviously didn’t want to be chatting her up but also different from the one she had met weeks ago when he told her that he had been pretending that he was her boyfriend. This version sounded comfortable and sure of himself, though he yawned often. And, when his words trailed off and his breathing evened out, Anne couldn’t bring herself to leave quite at that moment.

It was easy to pretend like it was because she wanted to know what Ria was going to do now that she had found out about the plot to overthrow the empire. Easier still to say that she had stayed so that she could hold a finger to her lips as Abigail bounded down the steps before quietly retreating when she realized Sebastian was asleep.

* * *

 “So are the two of you going to dance at the Flower Dance?” Sam asked, pulling at the pizza Anne had brought over. He claimed it was because he was hungry. Sebastian had countered that it was because he was tired of losing. Abigail had just laughed between the two, explaining that they had been playing between each other for years.

In response, Anne shrugged, tossing a glance at Sebastian, “I’m not much of a dancer so probably not.”

“Mom always makes me wear that god awful suit and then Lewis pairs us off if no one asks us to dance,” Sebastian grumbled.

“It’s better than those white dresses the girls have to wear. I think Haley is the only one who looks halfway decent in it,” Abigail countered, “Besides, you know Lewis will pair us up together. He’s done it every year since Sam let it slip he was interested in Penny.” Her cheeks reddened and she didn’t seem too put out by this fact. Catching Sebastian's eyes, Anne knew that he recognized it too though Sam didn’t seem to notice in the slightest.

Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Emily waving her over and quickly excused herself. She wasn’t interested in hearing the men complain about how uncomfortable their suits were when she had already seen the dressed the women had to wear. Besides, she hadn’t been joking; of all the festivals that Pelican Town had, she had a gut feeling that she would hate the Flower Dance most of all. It brought too many memories that she’d rather not think of anymore.

The smile she forced onto her face almost felt real as Anne nodded towards Shane, who reluctantly returned the silent greeting, as she leaned on the bar's countertop. It must have looked real enough as Emily didn't comment on it, trading her empty glass for another full glass of beer. The bar was full, as it seemed to always been on a Friday night.

"Are you ready for the Flower Dance?" Emily's eyes darted over to Shane before swiftly moving away. The bit of ear that peeked out from beneath her blue hair was a stunning shade of red.

Anne's shoulders rose and fell as she took a long drink of the beer, "I don't know. 'm not a big fan of dancing or dances in general."

Emily's eyes seemed to dig into her very being and, while she didn't push the subject, Anne couldn't help but wonder what conclusions she may have come to from that. Her eyes narrowed slightly and Emily shook her head, only a fraction of a movement, her smile still in place. It was meant to be calming but, if anything, it did the opposite for Anne. Had she been found out already?

"Maybe that will change next year. Or maybe you could ask Sebastian if he'd want to pair up with you. I think he'd like that."

She could hear her heart pounding in her ear, forcing another shrug from her shoulders, "Maybe. Who are you dancing with?" It was relatively easy to switch the subject of their conversation off of herself and Anne nodded along as Emily continued to sneak glances at Shane. It would have been cute if she hadn't been so distracted, from her mistaken belief that Emily had figured out that she wasn't actually dating Sebastian or that - even more unlikely - that she had realized how much Anne didn't belong in Pelican Town.

“You got a message from your mom,” Sebastian told her as she walked back into the room, making an effort to not meet her eyes as he pretended to aim for the nine ball in the corner.

The air left her lungs as she realized she had left her phone next to his, that she hadn’t updated her privacy settings, that her notifications were open for the world to see. Still, she breathed out a small “Thanks,” letting her fingers slide across his shoulders and distantly feeling a sense of pride as he shuddered slightly under them.

From: Mom  
We dropped by your apartment in Zuzu. Your landlord said you had moved out? Where are you now? Anne Marie, you didn't get caught again, did you?

“Anything important?”

Sam’s voice pulled her from her thoughts but, still, Anne had to force herself to shake her head as she slid her phone into her pocket, pretending her hands weren't shaking, “Just saying hi. Nothing pressing." She left herself fall onto the couch besides Abigail, trying to give her heart a break, to let it calm down a bit at least. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched as Abigail fidgeted.

"Are you going to ask Sebastian to dance?"

The words were quiet but from the stiffness in her fake-boyfriend's shoulders let her knew he had heard. Still, Anne shook her head, wishing she had known what this festival involved before today.

"I seriously have two left feet and should not be trusted to dance. Cut down a tree? Go dig up some ore? I’m your girl. Dancing? Hard pass."

She heard rather than saw Abigail's breath of relief, her eyes still on Sebastian who was staring at her with a mixture of confusion and frustration. For whatever reason, it made her feel small. She fought back the urge to explain further. That her parents had enrolled her in dance classes when she was younger, to make her movements more fluid as she picked pockets while they distracted their marks, how it didn't seem to work and the constant disappointment that seemed to be mirrors in Sebastian's gaze as he looked at her.

She tore her eyes away from his and drained her beer.

"I'm going to head out, I'll see you all at the thing tomorrow," she told them with a half hearted wave towards Sam and a smile at Abigail. She watched for half a beat as Sebastian continued his turn, focusing his attention on the pool table instead of meeting her eyes, before turning and heading towards the door.

It shouldn't have stung but it did.

No, Anne reasoned, she knew why it stung. It felt too similar to the disappointed looks - no, she pushed the thoughts aside. This was a new life. She wasn't a part of that life anymore.

It was time to rest anyway.

There were poppies to harvest tomorrow anyway.

* * *

The poppies were underwhelming but she had heard that Penny liked them and Anne wanted to do something nice for the woman. She tutored the kids, for no other reason that Ann could see than because she wanted to. Her mother had stopped texting her at around two that morning, her messages evolving from questioning to anger to faux indifference to blessed silence.

At least, Anne reasoned as she harvested the last of the poppies, she hadn't tried to call. That never ended well for either of them.

The extra flowers were dumped into the bin for Lewis to pick up and she carried the best and brightest of her bouquet to a spare glass already filled with water. They weren't as good as her tulips but they'd do well enough as a friendly gift. Penny was quiet but there was a sharp brain under that shyness that Anne wanted to know more.

She focused on that instead of how Sebastian still hadn't texted her. Or how that stabbed at her.

Still, he managed a smile as Robin waved her over, fixing his tie as she entered the festival grounds. The carpenter's cheery chatter washed over her and when Sebastian reached out his hand for hers, stilling the slight trembles that she hadn't noticed, Anne felt relatively calmer. Robin stayed for only a few minutes longer before Demetrius pulled her away with a laugh and a promise of a dance.

She watched as they went as Sebastian played with her fingers beside her, breathing in the ocean air as the pair continued to laugh quietly to themselves.

"I handled that badly, yesterday at the saloon," Sebastian told her, his fingers ghosting over her palm. She shuddered at the contact slightly but didn't pull away. "I'm sorry about that."

Instead, she asked, "Do you feel bad? Lying to them all about not really dating me?" Her eyes moved from Robin and Demetrius to Haley, who was clearly practicing whatever dance that the town had planned. Her lips curled into a smile.

"Sometimes. Do you want to stop?"

She shook her head, "I told you, I'm awful enough that I don't care."

He was frowning. It was palpable in the silence but Sebastian didn’t argue with her, “Why don’t you like dancing?”

The question caught her off guard. It shouldn’t have. Out of everyone in town Anne had come to realize that Sebastian was probably her closest friend in the town, though she kept him at arm’s length as much as everyone else. 

“My parents had me enrolled in classes when I was young. The end result wasn’t great,” she breathed as his movements started again against her hand. Her gaze travelled from Haley to the other end of the field, towards the deep blue of the ocean. It was easier to pretend like that was what she was talking to, rather than the man beside her. 

“Not on good terms with them? You seemed upset by that text.”

Anne let out a shaky breath, understanding that he saw more than she realized blooming in her. “I haven’t seen them in years but every once in a while, they try to find me. I can keep track of them well enough when they have my number.” She hesitated for a beat before mumbling, “They always find it anyway. They’re good like that.” His tracing had stopped as she talked and Anne felt her fingers trembling in his hand again. 

She felt him twine his fingers with hers, not trapping them but giving her an anchor, “I don’t think you’re awful.”

“You say that because I blew you the other day,” she laughed, running her free hand through her hair, “but it’s sweet of you to say.” Finally turning to face him, Anne leaned in and kissed him on the cheek, pulling her hand from his, “I think the dance is about to start.”

He looked like he wanted to say more but a hand appeared on his shoulder with Sam pulling him towards the group. Leaning back on her heels, Anne watched as the people of her town - and it was becoming her town, if it wasn’t already - began their tradition of celebrating the end of Spring and welcoming in Summer. 

 


	6. Summer Year 1, part i

Staring at the plots of land, dark with water, Anne fell heavily on her steps. Blueberries and corn took up the majority of the cleared land. There were a few pepper plants that she wanted to give to Shane, a few poppies for Anne and one hops trellis to try and make Pam her pale ale. She wiped the sweat off her brow, wondering if Robin or Clint had a blueprint for creating a sprinkler system for her growing farm. Nem barked, chasing off another crow and Anne pulled herself up to start making a few more scarecrows. The single one didn’t seem to cover all of the ground that she now had planted. It’d take a few hours but, under the shade of her porch the heat didn’t seem so off putting. 

Ever since the Flower Dance things had been...strange. More often than not, she found Sebastian's eyes already on her, like she was a puzzle he couldn't quiet figure out but he was fascinated nonetheless. It was, well, strange was the only word she could settle on. 

Still, the days had continued and Spring had turned into Summer with the haze of routine: Anne would come by the Saloon on Fridays, the mines on days that rained and stopped by Sebastian's when her plants were taken care of. It became a pattern within that, that he would work until he simply couldn't anymore before joining her on the couch to read from his favorite book until he fell sleep, Anne's fingers sliding through his hair gently. Sometimes she fell sleep too. Those moments were always ruined when she jolted awake with half remembered dreams of a life she had put behind her. 

It was easier to focus on the work in front of her rather than the strange life she had built around her. At least the scarecrow didn't talk back to her. Like he was called, though, Sebastian's text tone chimed out from beside her. 

Sebastian:   
Do you have some free time today? I just realized you didn't bring take the Chronicles of Ria with you.

Anne:   
Was I allowed to borrow that? I just thought you were trying to distract me. 

Sebastian:   
Joke all you want but I know you want to know how it ends. Come over, you can read it while I work.

She hesitated, most likely reading far more into those few words than she should have. 

Anne:    
If you wanted a booty call, you should have just sent some emojis about it. It would have been easier

Sebastian:   
If I send you a peach would that bring you over?

Anne:   
Probably.

Sebastian:    
Good, I love to eat a good peach. Can you bring me one?

She laughed, the noise startling Nem from her nap at the base of the porch. "Fucking idiot," Anne mumbled to herself, with a smile, finishing the end of the scarecrow. With a grunt, she hefted the scarecrow up before hauling it towards the edge of her tilled land. 

She'd need a shower before she went to see Sebastian and possibly a nap afterwards. And if there was a smile on her lips as she posted the scarecrow in the ground, Anne refused to acknowledge it. 

Rubbing the dirt on her hands off onto her jeans, she surveyed the land once more. There was enough room for a chicken coop now and Anne was seriously contemplating it. On the other hand, she reasoned as she headed towards the northern exit, she could expand the house into something that less resembled a shack and more into a home. A kitchen would be nice to have, a place to finally attempt the recipes she had seen on television. The land changed, clearing from the overpass into the clearing that let her know she was close to Sebastian's home. 

Making sure her shoes didn't have any dirt that would track in, Anne shot a grin at Robin, "I think I want to expand on the house."

The woman's eyes practically gleamed at the idea, "Yeah? I could get you a kitchen and an actual bedroom in about three days time if you're serious."

"Yoba, yes. You had me at kitchen but a bedroom? With it's own door?" she leaned on the counter, "Let's do it."

"You won't regret it," the other woman peered around the corner, like she was making sure the coast was clear, "And this way, if Sebby wants to say over more than the random night, there'd be more room, right?" There was an awkward laugh, one Anne realized was actually coming from her and, dear Yoba, if the heat on her cheeks was any indication, she was blushing. Robin laughed, waving her away as she tucked her money into a bag. "I'll be by in the morning. Oh, and you should come by for dinner when it's done. We'll celebrate."

In a daze she didn't want to inspect too deeply, Anne knocked gently on the door and entered, shaking her head, "I think your mom wants you to stay the night more. What do you think about that?"

"I'm not staying over unless you have coffee and a decent internet connection. I can't work in that cave," he shot back from his computer, 

"Did you bring me a peach?"

"The tree hasn't even finished growing. And that cart vendor wants an arm and leg for one," she groused, coming to lean on his back as she stared at the screen from over his shoulder. As he relaxed into her, she rested her head against the side of his, "What's this project for now? Still the website?"

He shook his head, "Just some QA on a company's software. Basically, I'm trying to find the bugs in it, break it as best I can so the customer can't do it."

Nodding, Anne pulled away slowly, "If you don't mind, I'm going to nap while you finish that. It's been a busy day." Her jeans dropped to the ground as before she nestled under the heavy comforter. 

"Already? It's only one."

Nestling further into his pillow, Anne made a noise of agreement, mumbling,  "I planted the new harvest and watered them and then made a new scarecrow because the damn crows keep eating my seeds. And then I talked to your mom about helping me expand the house and then suggested we bone down there." There was a choking gasp from where Sebastian sat and Anne bit back a sleepy smile, "You don't want to stay the night?"

There was a moment of silence and, as she drifted to sleep, she thought she heard the answering, "I wouldn't mind it."

* * *

There was something both thrilling and terrifying of the mines. The monsters, sure, definitely were not a highlight of it but the sheer amount of ore that was available made the trips worth it. That and the occasional thing she found that Gunther seemed interested in. Anne didn't really see the point in some of the items but it was nice to be helpful to the museum. 

It was nice to be wanted and to be rewarded when she did well. 

The scrolls in her bag reminded her that she needed to deliver them to the curator. They bounced on her back as the rickety elevator moved slowly to the surface again. The rain still hadn't let up as she hurried her way past Sebastian's home and the Community Center, towards the library.

A flash of guilt went through her as she eyed the dilapidated building. Only one more membership for Joja and it'd be gone. The idea that perhaps that’d be for the best ran through her mind and was quickly pushed aside as quickly as it came. Her fingers tightened against the straps of her bag as she entered the building once more and went to where she saw that last plaque. A Junimo - or whatever the wizard had told her it was - disappeared as she grew closer.

Standing above the plaque, Anne stared down at the new image. Small pictures of vegetables and flowers that she had found through the Cindersap Forest and around Pelican Town seemed to form leaves tied to branches that connected to one tree. Pulling out the sweet pea, small and crumpled under the ore she had found, she hesitantly placed it on top of the picture that matched the item. In a flash of gold, the flower seemingly disappeared, sinking into the image of itself. 

Anne stared at the faintly glowing leaf with a mixture of horror and awe. The Junimo were stories she vaguely remembered from childhood, when her mother felt more maternal than usual. The fact that something was happening with the Community Center and it involved them made goosebumps appear on her arms that had nothing to do with the weather. Inspecting the branches further, she realized that this would require more trips through the forest to find the items they were wanting. 

Given the fact that no one else was rushing to the Community Center to help, had a flush of warmth run through her. It was nice to be wanted.

* * *

Her phone rang again - not the ringer she had assigned to her parents - and she picked it up, rubbing the dirt off her hands and onto her jeans, "Yeah?"

"Annie! You never call anymore!" Steve's voice called out, seemingly unconcerned that it was still very clearly during the work day, "How's life out of the big city? Miss it yet?"

A dry laugh escaped her as she shut the door behind her, "God no. Constantly watching people move up before me because I didn't have a degree and hating my job every day? At least here I'm doing something worth a shit."

There was a beat of silence, “I hope you know you meant more to some of us than just that. And if not, then we did a shitty job at being friends with you.”

Her shoulders bobbed, even as she knew he wouldn’t be able to see it, “Doesn’t matter now, does it? You know that I love you but that wasn’t a good place for me.” She kicked at the floor, frowning when the ground scuffed slightly. She used the toe of her shoe to work at the scuff mark, frown never easing.

“I think that’s the first time you said you loved me,” he sounded almost surprised, like he hadn’t already known that. 

“Don’t take it too seriously, you’re just, I don’t know, my best friend and shit,” she moved towards the porch, no longer creaking with holes. The updates to the house were wonderful. There was a kitchen that she had hardly touched and a separate bedroom. Nem hardly knew what to do with all of the space she had to sleep and settled on moving each night. 

Settling herself onto the stairs, she let her gaze fall across the land. It was a habit she had fallen into, letting Steve’s words wash over her. The sun was setting and, as Anne let Steve talk himself dry before getting off the phone, her lips twisted into a small contented smile. Her neighbors had seemed surprised by her gifts, some good and some bad, but all made her feel closer to Pelican Town than she had before. Thank Yoba Emily had mentioned that she wanted some hot peppers for Shane, it beat spending more gold on the occasional beer when they were at the bar together. They had developed a tentative friendship, one she wasn’t sure would have happened if it hadn’t been for the peace Pelican Town had brought her. 

None of this would have happened if she had stayed in Zuzu City, content with her lot in life at Joja Corp. 

The thought fell over Anne like a wave; fast, rushing and overwhelming once she realized it, consuming her. Leaving the conversation as quickly as she could, Anne pushed herself off of her stairs and began to walk through the clearing of her farm. The exercise would do her some good, she told herself even as she pushed away the feeling of being trapped. 

It was different this time. This time, she’d protect her heart, even from Mossy Groves Farm and Pelican Town itself if she had to. 

There was a dim light coming from the lake as Anne neared the southern exit of her farm. Searching for any means of distraction from her thoughts, she headed towards it with arms crossed tightly against her front as the sun set into full darkness. Her footsteps seemed to echo across the still lake water, pulling Shane’s attention from it to her and they both stared at each other for a beat before he gestured an invitation. 

The beer he passed wasn’t cold any more, Anne wasn’t sure it ever had been, but it tasted the same as all of the others she had before Pelican Town and Gus’ home brew that he had on tap. As she downed half of the can, her free hand shoved into her pocket, Shane sat back down on the edge of the pier. They stayed together in relative silence, staring at the top of the lake, before Shane spoke up.

“Buh...life,” he mumbled, letting the empty can fall into the lake before getting another. He took a long swig before adding, “You ever feel like...no matter what you do, you’re gonna fail?” Anne’s free hand itched for a cigarette and she forced a nod, though Shane wasn’t looking at her. He paused again, fingers tight around the lip of the can, “Like you’re stuck in some miserable abyss and you’re so deep you can’t even see the light of day?” Her throat felt tight and, for once, Anne felt frozen. She haethd to strain to hear his last words, “I just feel like no matter how hard I try...I’m not strong enough to climb out of that hole.”

She finished her can, letting it fall limply to her side as Shane tossed her a grin, “I forgot you’re a fast drinker. Woman after my own heart sometimes. Don’t let it become a habit, okay? You’ve still got a bright future ahead of you.”

A laugh escaped her lips, leaving a bitter taste, “I guess so.”

The frustrating part was that here, in Pelican Town, she believed him. Anne mulled over the thought as Shane shrugged, packed up what little beer he had left, and stood, complaining about his liver. Her eyes stayed on the lake’s surface.

Anne:    
You up? Want to come over?

Sebastian:   
Yeah. Let me finish up here. 10 minutes?

Anne:   
You finally gonna eat that peach you’ve been talking about?

Sebastian:   
You’ll find out in 10 I guess.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, thanks for sticking around. I've been dealing with personal things lately but they're getting better. 
> 
> Anyway, if you like this, feel free to leave a comment or come say high on my tumbler (@asongforjuliet).


	7. Summer Year 1, part ii

“It’s just so nice to have you here for dinner,” Robin said, taking the bowl Vegetable Melody that Anne had brought with her, “You didn’t have to bring anything.”

She shrugged, stepping into the home, “I don’t like coming to places empty handed.” The coolness of the room was a stark difference from the slowly diminishing heat of outdoors. “Besides, I harvested a few things today and wanted to try out this recipe. You can consider yourself a guinea pig if it helps.”

Robin’s laughter carried them into the kitchen where Demetrius was standing over the stove, his eyes focused on the frying pan in front of him. Maru waved to her and gestured for Anne to sit next to her. Sebastian was nowhere in sight at first glance and Anne studiously ignored the pang of disappointment from not seeing him immediately. 

“He’s got some proposal he’s working on,” Maru told her, “a big one apparently.” Her fingers moved deftly through the wiring of the small robot body part she had on her lap, “He said something about having nearly enough to get out of Pelican Town if he gets the bid.”

Maru didn't say it but Anne felt the question behind her words. Why would he be leaving if they were together still? So Anne let a smile slide onto her face, “That’s great. I knew he was looking for a change of scenery. It’d be awesome if he got it.”

“If I got what?” Sebastian’s voice from behind her made Anne jump. 

Her face flushing with embarrassment even as he kissed the top of her head, she watched as he slid into the seat next to her, “That proposal you’re working on. It’d be great if you got the job.”

“Ah, yeah,” Even as he spoke, with a hint of pride in his voice, Anne mind raced. Would this mean that the rouse would be over soon? How were they going to handle the break up? Would she have to continue to lie for another season or two before the inevitable split or would it be an immediate parting? Plans began to bloom in her mind, even as she listened with half an ear to Sebastian as he explained the job he was hoping to land.

The sound of Robin’s ceramic bowls tapping against each other pulled her from her thoughts and pull her full attention back to the people around her. Demetrius had pulled Maru into a conversation and the Anne watched as the pair laughed quietly over the small robot between them. It had been years since Anne had been at a family dinner. This had been so different from what she had grown up with, laughter and light instead of pounding footsteps out of a restaurant or arguments.

Which is why it seemed so jarring when Robin asked, “Anne, why don’t you invite your family down sometime? They can stay here if you don’t have the room.”

Thankfully her fork had been relatively close to her plate, making it less obvious that she had dropped it. She ignored the look that Sebastian sent her, focussing on the wall behind Robin’s shoulder. It was easier than actually looking at the people around her, eyes kind and full of welcome. 

“My folks and I aren’t really on speaking terms,” she said, stumbling over her words slightly, “I don’t know if they’ll ever come down.” 

They wouldn’t, if she had anything to do with it. Not that had ever stopped them from barging in on the quiet life she had created since leaving them behind. 

“Oh, I’m so sorry dear, I had no idea,” Robin told her, reaching over to pat her gently on her wrist, the shock at her faux pas evident on her face.

Anne waved it off, “It’s not a big deal, I promise.” 

It was a strange feeling, both the knowledge that she had meant what she said and the feeling of Sebastian’s hand on her knee, steady and supportive. 

It was easy to skip dessert. Her hunger had fled at the beginning of the night but, still, Anne cited the early morning and that she had to explore a new level of the mines before building the silo she had wanted. If Sebastian noticed how her hands shook as she pulled out her pack of cigarettes, he didn’t say anything. 

Instead, he moved to open the garage as Anne took a deep breath, “Sam keeps telling me those are going to kill us one day.”

“Probably,” she huffed out a small laugh, “He’s right though. We should really give it up.”

The view of a motorcycle came into view, pulling Anne towards the scene curiously. Her eyebrows rose slightly as Sebastian reached for the toolbox before sliding under the vehicle. “What made you start anyway? Were you just trying to look cool? Or did you want to piss off your parents too?”

“I had just broken up with my boyfriend,” she murmured, the cigarette hanging uselessly in her fingers, “It,” she brought it back to her lips and took a deep breath, staring at the sky, “It wasn’t a great time for me. I had just started university, cut ties with my parents. The university loved him though and when he had to leave, a lot of people blamed me. Drinking and smoking seemed appropriate at the time.”

Her eyes drifted down to find him look at her, his expression one she hadn’t seen before, “That sucks. People are the worst.”

A chuckle escaped her, “Yeah, you could say that. Since when have you had a motorcycle?”

“For a few years now. I keep it tuned up and sometimes I just go for a ride to get out of Stardew Valley. Just drive and end up wherever.” The strange expression had morphed from something she couldn’t read into a distant smile, “Maybe I’ll take you sometime.”

“That’d be nice,” she murmured, watching as he went back under the motorcycle, “I’d like to see where you go to think before you leave.”

The cigarette slowly went out before he responded, “About that, I don’t know if I’ll be getting this one, just kind of wanted to see if I could you know. The company’s small and will probably get bought out by another one by the end of the year. It’s not something I really want to push for.” He pushed himself out, grime on his cheeks from where the back of his hands had touched his face, “I meant to tell you before Maru had a chance to.”

“It’s not a big deal, not like we’re actually dating or anything.” She dropped the butt on the ground and snuffed it out with her shoe, “And you should take it if you really want it. Chase your dreams and all that.”

“Is that what you did? With school?” The question was innocent enough and Anne hesitated for a moment, in the quiet that was only disturbed by Sebastian placing the tools back in their place, to let everything come out.

Her shoulders moved up and down, almost robotically though it seemed realistic enough, “I guess. Not that it did me much good. I dropped out a semester later. Want to walk me back home? Maybe stay the night if you’re feeling up for it?”

If she pushed the disappointment that he didn't recognize the distraction deep down, maybe she wouldn't have to acknowledge it. 

* * *

_ Fingers went into pockets, pulling out wallets or loose gold. Hurriedly counting what she had gathered, Annabelle bit her lip in frustration. She still needed at least 50 gold before being able to stop for the day. Hearing her mother explain calmly and earnestly, disappointment threaded through her voice, why it was important for her to get her share of the work done for the day as they drove to whatever motel they were staying at for the night was not something she wanted to deal with again.  _

_ Her stomach tightened - in hunger or at the idea of having to live with her mother's disappointment again, Annabelle wasn't sure. The smell of the food stands had drifted in and out through the day, distracting and tantalizing. Instead, she watched as her father pulled in a new crowd for a game of 'Find the Queen', while her mother picked out the mark. In a few moments, it would be time for her to knock into a few unsuspecting watchers and release a few bits of gold from their hold.  _

_ Maybe, by the end of the day, she'd get more than what was asked of her. Maybe they'd be happy with how hard she had worked and take her out to dinner. The daydream was an old one, one that twelve year old Annabelle knew would never actually happen. Still it was a nice thought to get her through the day. If she was lucky they'd have a few words of praise for her and, if she were really lucky, hand her some gold for a bus pass so she'd be able to sleep for a few more hours before school. _

_ Her mother's cough sounded like a shot, sharp and distinct and Annabelle's signal to move through the crowd. She bumped into at least five people, managing to swipe gold from each of them without the strangers realizing it before going towards the food stands, as if that were her destination all along. _

_ Thirty more coins to go. _

* * *

Her eyes opened to see darkness, the moon cutting a line of dim light through the window. Blinking away the remnants of the dream, Anne sighed softly as Sebastian's arm tightened around her. 

"You know you talk in your sleep," he murmured, carding his fingers through her hair gently, "Something about needing more gold and that you were hungry."

"Just a bad dream."

He waited a beat before she felt his lips against the back of her head, "Ok, I won't push." There were words he left unsaid that hung between them but Anne didn't want to read them. She closed her eyes again and leaned into his touch, falling into the rhythmic movements and drifting back to sleep.

When she awoke again, she was rewarded with a scene of Sebastian was hurriedly getting dressed. He smiled sheepishly at her as she sat up, "I forgot that I promised to meet up with Sam today. A jam session, as he likes to call it. It's more like we just play random shit until his mom tells us to turn it down. You should stop by sometime."

Pulling her own outfit on, Anne nodded, "If I have time. I wasn't joking about needing to get some more ores today. I really do want to build a silo before I start looking into buying animal pens."

Tugging his jacket on, Sebastian headed towards the door, "Makes sense. We'll probably be there for a while so no pressure." There was a moment of hesitation before he opened the door - Nem excitedly running out the moment the space was wide enough for her to wiggle through - and waved a goodbye. The movement was a bit awkward, like he wasn’t sure if he should do more or even bother, but still it made Anne grin as the door shut behind him.

Was she getting too deep into this?

The thought stuck with her as she watered her garden, harvesting the poppies that had grown and planted more. There were a few hot peppers that looked ready too. Emily would be happy to hear that since she liked to make those pepper poppers that Shane liked. 

Tossing a few in a bag, Anne left her pickaxe in the chest along with the wooden sword and hoped Emily wasn't too busy before the Saloon opened up.

There were blueberries ripe for the taking as she made her way towards her friend's home and Anne wasn't one to ignore a decent opportunity. They'd make a pretty good cobbler if she could get the rest of the ingredients and if she could remember the recipe well enough. It'd be an experiment at least, she told herself, studiously ignoring Sam's house and the music coming from his window even as she waved a greeting to Abigail.

Emily was cleaning in the kitchen when Anne entered, humming some tune that tugged memories of happier times to the front of Anne's mind. When she realized she wasn't alone, Emily beamed at Anne, "Hey! I wasn't expecting you here today. What's up?"

"Just got a batch of peppers that I thought you might like to have." Thankfully, the vegetables weren't too damaged from the time in her bag and Anne breathed a sigh of relief as she sat them on the table, "Thought you might want to make some pepper poppers this week."

"Oh, that's real nice of you Anne, you didn't have to do that," Emily told her. Pink dusted her cheeks as she handled the bag, "Is it that obvious that I'm a bit sweet on him?"

"Not really, you're a bit sweet to everyone. I've just seen you make the poppers and the salad at the Saloon. Gus says you're the only one who makes those. Figured there was something important there."

"You're good at reading people aren't you," It was a statement, not a question and Anne simply nodded, not making eye contact, "There's nothing wrong with that, though it might make it harder when you can't read things." There was a beat of silence, “Is everything alright?”

“Yeah, yeah it’s fine.” There was a cup of tea that somehow appeared in front of her, and she mirrored Emily’s movements as the other woman sat at the table, “Ah, thanks.”

“If you need to talk about anything, I hope you know I’m always willing to listen.”

Anne held her breath for a moment before letting it out again, “I think, once I figure out once what it is that is going on I’ll tell you.” She could hear Sam’s guitar distantly, fading in and out as the notes changed. It was a confusing mess, remarkably similar to how she felt inside. A few minutes passed as the pair sipped their tea before Anne spoke again, “Sebastian asked about how I started smoking. I didn’t really tell him the whole story since it had to do with an ex and stuff but now, I’m not sure if that was the right thing to do.”

Emily was quiet but Anne could feel her eyes on her, not judging, just waiting.

“So when I first started going to Tine University - it’s a private place up north, really small but had a great economics department - I was eighteen and ready to take on the world, y’know? My first semester was going pretty great and my professors thought I had the makings of someone who make something of herself. And then there was Professor Reeding. He was young compared to the others in the department but still was really well respected. He became my mentor and then, later on, we started a relationship. His marriage wasn’t going well but we were going to keep it quiet until I graduated. He was going to leave his wife and we were going to start a family. Like real fucking adults or something.” Anne huffed out a laugh, fingers tightening against the mug, the heat a low burn that grounded her to the moment instead of pulling her deep into her memories, “But we weren’t careful. We were caught and he lost everything. Job, wife, house. And the university fucking hated me for ruining his life.”

“He sounds like a dick,” Haley’s voice cut through the silence that followed like a knife. She glided through the house without bothering to look at the two women, moving towards the refrigerator, “and that he took advantage of you. What an asshat.”

“I - uh - thank you?” The words stumbled out of her, voice matching her confusion. In the few interactions she had had with the blonde, Anne hadn’t been incredibly impressed and simply hadn’t bothered with her, “I didn’t know you were home. Sorry about that.”

She received a distracted wave from behind the refrigerator door, “It’s whatever. You’re part of Pelican Town now, you’re one of us. We protect our own and if that guy ever shows his face, I’ll beat him up.”

“We all went to school together in Zuzu City,” Emily explained, sharing a smile with Anne, “It makes us a bit protective about each other. Even if some of us want to leave, we try to support each other as best we can.”

Her fingers tapped against the now cool mug and Anne had the strongest urge to simply leave. She wasn’t entirely sure how to respond to anything this pair sent her way anymore. “I should go. Sebastian invited me over to Sam’s to hear them play...something.”

Haley giggled as she let the door slam shut behind her, “Something is putting it nicely. Sam’s always wanted to start a band but they could never come up with anything.”

“I dunno, it doesn’t sound too bad,” Emily argued, as Haley rolled her eyes.

“Can you believe that we’re sisters. You’d think she’d have at least some of my good taste.”

Anne let out a small laugh as she stood, sliding her mug over to Emily, “Y’all are fucking weird,” she mumbled as Haley scoffed and Emily laughed, “but I appreciate your honesty.” They were still laughing as she waved them a goodbye at the door.


	8. Summer Year 1, part iii

There was an immediate dissonance in the music styles that Anne could hear as she entered Jodi’s home. Still, she made her way to the room that was clearly Sam’s. Her eyes made contact with Sebastian and she ignored the thump in her chest when his lips tilted up slightly upon seeing her. She stayed there for a few minutes as the pair finished up whatever it was that they were playing. 

“Anne! You made it,” Sam’s excitement was palpable and Anne found herself grinning to match his, “Seb and I were just having a bit a jam session.”

She nodded, “I can see. It’s, uh, something else.” Her eyes caught Sebastian’s as he struggled to mask a laugh into a cough and Anne found her grin growing. 

Sam either willingly ignored or didn’t notice - either way, she was grateful - the noise, “Yeah, we’re trying to figure out what kind of music we should play. Do you have any ideas?” 

“I mean, I like pop music personally,” she shrugged, leaning on his bookshelf, “Like Callie Ray Jipson and Ki5ha.” Sebastian groaned in the background, “What? It gets me moving in the morning and sometimes I just want to sleep in.”

Sam’s laughter cut off any response Sebastian might have made, “You know, that’s exactly the kind of style I’ve been thinking about for the band. What do you say Seb? Should we do this?”

He took a beat, staring at his keyboard before his eyes flitted to meet her own, “Okay.” There was a heaviness in that look that hadn’t been there before and Anne turned her attention away from Sebastian. Her face felt hot and her fingers twitched at her side as she forced herself to not bolt out of the room. Yoba, this was not how an adult was supposed to act around a person she was casually fucking. 

“-just need someone to play drums,” she pulled herself back to the conversation at hand to hear Sam talking to Sebastian before the pair moved to the a notebook on Sam’s desk. It felt robotic, pushing herself off the bookshelf and throwing herself on Sam’s bed so she could easily watch the pair discuss lyrics that they could use for the genre but either they were too engrossed in their plans or the action was fluid enough that they didn’t notice. Her eyes flickered back to Sebastian as their words washed over her and her heart thumped in against her chest. 

It didn’t matter that it seemed different than the last time she had felt this way. Didn’t matter that Sebastian was different than Jeremy Reeding in nearly every way imaginable. Her throat tightened as Sebastian met her eyes, a small, crooked grin appearing on his face as he realized she was staring, and Anne force herself to smile back. The heaviness was back along with a fluttering in her chest that she studiously ignored. 

The best thing for the both of them would be that Sebastian would get a job that took him far from Pelican Town. 

It wasn’t as if the relationship had somehow become less of a lie, she reasoned with herself. As if that would remove the pit that formed in her stomach as she came to her conclusion. If anything, Anne was more than aware of how their entire friendship, if it even was that, was based on a lie. It was just that she had gone and caught some kind of feelings of attachments and would be sad when he left. It’d be like pulling off a bandaid, hard and painful but for the best in the end. Mentally nodding to herself, though the pit remained where it was, she pulled out her phone, determined to empty her mind on Facespace. 

Practice, now that it could finally be called that, ended hours later. Her steps echoed Sebastian’s as they made their way through town, the glint of the moon casting their shadows far behind them. 

“You never mentioned why you don’t talk to your parents,” Sebastian started, pulling Anne from her thoughts, “I didn’t want to push but y’know, if you want to talk about it or something.”

“I really don’t want to,” she told him, blunt but without the harshness that usually came when her family was mentioned. Perhaps Pelican Town was making her softer, “Really, I’d rather try to see what I’d have to promise to get you to come home with me.”

His eyes met hers, the heat returning between them, before his hands were gently cupping her face and guided her lips to meet his. Yoba, he would be the death of her and she’d welcome it with open arms. He kissed her as if she were something precious, held her as if she would run at any moment and the tenderness of his actions made Anne tremble in his grasp. 

His forehead rested on hers when he let her go, “You can use sex all you want to try and distract me but I’m still going to be around if you need me.”

Heart thumping against her ribs, Anne grinned, "I've got no idea what you're talking about." She bunching his jacket in her fist and pulled him close again, murmuring "Come home with me," before kissing him again. She felt more than heard his answer laugh, a rumbling in his chest as his lips brushed against hers. Still he let her pull him towards her home without complaint.

He was warm against her in the cooling weather and, as she pressed him against the door of her house, Anne felt the familiar heat build between them. Sebastian's jacket hit the ground with a satisfying thump before his hands were back to tugging at her shirt. She could feel his length pressed against her when he pulled her closer and the shaky breath he let out when she unbuttoned his pants had Anne laughing against his lips. 

Reaching down and grasping his cock, Anne pumped slowly, reveling in the groan of satisfaction Sebastian attempted to muffle. His volume rose as she dropped to her knees, still slowly pumping him from base to tip. She focused on the mushroomed head initially as a string of praise poured from Sebastian’s mouth and his hands carded through her hair. He didn't try to guide her or try to have her take more than she was willing to take but seemed like he was trying to anchor himself to her, tugging slightly when he grasped her.

"Yoba, Anne, if you keep it going we're not going to make it to the bed."

Releasing him, Anne shot him a grin, "What if that was the point?" she asked, licking a strip from base to tip.

His fingers tightened in her hair at her action and he groaned again, "I want to feel you around me, make you feel good too."

"Baby, this is making me feel good. Look at you, looking so wrecked and gorgeous. Saying those things so sweetly. You're doing exactly what you need to do for me right now."

He released her hair and reached for Anne's shoulders, pulling her up as he toed off his shoes and pants before lifting her into his arms. Moving her legs so that they wrapped around his waist, Sebastian murmured against her lips, "I don't want to just fuck by the door. I want you to feel better than good. Yoba, Anne, you deserve to see the stars each time you lay down."

He laid her on the bedspread gently, like she were something fragile and not the broken mess that had been glued together a million times. When he kissed her again, there was something more than the heat and electricity that had already sparked between them from their first meeting. It was a feeling that Anne sunk into, one that she could drown in if she wasn't careful, but she couldn't remember to care when Sebastian placed a kiss at her hip as he pulled her jeans off. It had been so long since she had been this open with anyone, this exposed, and she reflectively pressed her knees together. Sebastian, for his credit, only tilted his lips in her direction before kissing one of her knees, fingers trailing lines of goosebumps across her legs as they fell open again. 

He started at her clit, soft circular strokes before increasing the pressure as Anne grasped at the blankets around her. Her knees were on his shoulders as she quickly felt herself come apart around him, crying as she rode him through her first and into a second immediately afterwards. It was only after the third did Sebastian bother to reach for the condoms in her bedside table, satisfied grin on his face as he looked at her. 

"Oh shut up and fuck me already," Anne grumbled, though she smiled at his laugh.

He brushed her hair out of her face, kissing her again as he entered her. Swallowing her gasps as he bottomed out and started to move within her, "Yoba," he breathed, moving to her neck as Anne clutched at his shoulders, "You feel so fucking good."

She clenched around him as he continued to speak, biting her neck lightly as her hand snaked down to circle her clit again, "'Bastian, I'm so close. Fuck, I'm so close."

She felt more than saw his hand reach for hers, murmurs of how he was close as well breathed against her neck as he started to speed up, fingers intertwining with her own. The world broke around her as she clutched at Sebastian's hand, an anchor in the madness that somehow surrounded her  in the moment. 

Minutes later, when they both had recovered from their high. "I wasn't joking," Sebastian told her, lazily threading his fingers through her hair again, "you deserve to have something more than someone just fucking you when the both of you are bored."

A laugh escaped before she could reign it in, "I'll get right on that then. After you move on and I have my mourning period." Rolling onto her back, Anne stared at the ceiling not sure why the silence that followed her statement bothered her so much. 

* * *

A bat had hit the side of her head and Anne could feel the blood pumping down the side of her temple in time with her hammering pulse. It's wing was in her bag now, a morbid souvenir that she could sell later on in hopes to get enough gold to purchase a better weapon. The insect head was not on her list of things she wanted to carry around whenever she went into the mines. 

Still, there were at least two more levels of the mine that she wanted to get through before the next elevator would appear and she needed to get more ore if she wanted to drop off a iron bar in the Community Center. The junimos had given her a few presents since she had completed a couple of their requests but Anne was curious to see what might happen if she finished everything that they were asking for. The Wizard didn't seem to think that they were dangerous and everything that they had given her had been userful. 

Another bug flew at her, faster than the ones she had seen before. She swung her sword at it which only seemed to make it angrier as it flew at her. Anne could hear the buzzing of another one right behind it and her eyes darted around for the new enemy as she swung again, missing this time. It hit her on the arm, causing Anne to push a hiss of pain through her teeth before striking again. The second bug, exactly like the one she had just struck down was in view now - heading towards her and she slashed, once, twice, before it fell like the other. 

The cut on her head wasn't worth spending more time on this level, now that all of the ore had been mined and, while her arm burned from the slash the now dead bug had given her, Anne made her way back to the ladder she had found going deeper into the mines.

* * *

Steve:   
What the actual fuck Annie. Did you tell anyone you got beat up?

Anne:   
I went to the town doctor. It’s not that big of a deal. The mines are full of these little bastards.

Steve:   
Annie!! You can’t just send me a pic of a giant ass bruise and ugly scab thing and think I’m not going to freak out. Why are you even going into the mines? Aren’t you a farmer???

Anne:   
Yeah but I needed to get some ore and it’s easier to mine it than to buy it. And I’m helping the library with artifacts. You’d be surprised by how much stuff there is down there.

Steve:   
BAD REASONS. Why are you putting yourself in danger like that??

Anne scoffed at her phone, wincing as she took a step off her porch. The few sprinklers that she had made were watering summer spangles and sunflowers but there were still corn and blueberries and hops to water. The chicken coop - still empty - stood next to the rundown greenhouse. Perhaps, if she could get the silo filled, she’d start raising the chicks next season. 

Anne:   
Don’t worry so much. I’m going to be more careful about it.

She busied herself with watering her plants in the silence that followed her response, humming a tuneless song and moving slowly. Her arm burned still and Harvey had given her a twenty minute lecture on the dangers of going deeper into the mine when she went to get it checked out. She didn’t need Steve to worry about her, she thought, she was fine living on her own and being on her own. It was nothing like her first week on the farm, trying to tame what the land had become and the soreness and feeling of being completely overwhelmed that followed. But this was her land now, with swaths of flowers growing and a few fruits and vegetables and a dog that loved her fiercely. 

Her fingers tightened on her watering can. Yoba, this was more than she had for most of her life. And if she had to walk on eggshells around everyone, she was going to lose it. 

It was nearly lunch when she finished watering the rest of her ever growing garden, gathering hay as it encroached on the land and with tired steps, she made her way back inside for a midday nap. There was some town event that marked the end of the season that Sebastian seemed genuinely excited to go to that night. He was started relatively tight lipped about what it was and Anne didn't quite feel like pressing the issue, not when his lips twisted into a rare excited smile when she had asked. 

She went to sleep with that smile in her mind and woke up to dusk with a knock on her door. 

“We might be a bit early to this but, we should get going if we want to get a good spot,” Sebastian told her, snuffing out the butt of his cigarette in the ashtray.

Pulling on her boots, Anne hurried to catch up with him, only to find Sam and Abigail waiting on the edge of her farm,  “You all know you can come on the land, right? Nem is harmless.”

The three laughed before Sam added, “She is super scary. Like, worse than Morris without coffee.”

“He's just saying that because she growled at him the first time he tried to come over,” Sebastian explained,  pushing Sam into Abigail slightly, “He holds a grudge.”

The three joined between each other as Anne read the few messages she had missed while sleeping. 

Steve:    
It's a big deal because we care. I don't want to have to ID your body or something else dramatic. 

Mom:   
Sweetie your father and I want to see you! Let us know where you are asap and I'll set something up! 

“I saw you going to see Dr. Harvey yesterday,” Abigail started off, “Maru wouldn’t say anything about it though. Everything okay?”

The question pulled Anne out of her thoughts, even as she ignored the confused look Sebastian shot her, “Oh, yeah. I’m fine. Got a bit bruised from some creatures in the mines the other day and I wanted to make sure I hadn’t been, like, poisoned or something.”

“I’ve been wanting to go into the mines. My dad says it’s too dangerous though,” Abigail told her, her lips tilting into a pretty frown. 

“They are dangerous,” Sebastian mumbled, “I don’t get this weird fascination with them that you two have.”

Anne stayed quiet as Abigail started talking about the finer details of a true adventure, the beach coming into view for the group. Most of the town had already gathered by the docks in typical Pelican Town fashion, eagerly awaiting the sea creatures that were sure to make an appearance that night. Spotting Emily on the edge of the dock, presumably distracted with the water, Anne let herself be guided to the pier furthest away from Willy’s shop. 

“Should I push Sebastian into the water?” Sam asked quietly, “Nah, I probably won’t.”

They shared a quiet laugh, watching as Abigail continued to talk to Sebastian, a bit closer than Anne was comfortable with but she didn’t press it, “He’d probably be super pissed if you did that.”

“Probably, but it’d be pretty funny though.”

She stared out into the sea, “What makes this such a big deal?”

The inky black ocean stared back at her, the waves making rhythmic movements against the pier’s legs. The heavy sounds of footfalls announced Vincent’s presence as she asked her question, though he stayed closer inland than the four of them. 

“The jellyfish all come out and say goodbye to summer,” Abigail told her, moving to another side of the dock looking, Anne assumed, for any signs of the jellyfish, “They come each year. It’s pretty rare for them apparently but we’ve made an event out of it.”

“Anne, c’mere real fast,” Sebastian waved her over, eyes on something in the water. She made her way towards him, ignoring how Sam mimicked pushing him in, “Do you see that? There, in the water?” Leaning towards where he pointed, Anne stared into the dark waters, trying to see whatever he may have spotted. As she was going to give up, hands clutched her shoulders, jolting her as he laughed, “Only trying to scare you.”

“Oh you as-ashtray. You are a glorious ashtray,” she growled, eyes darting to Vincent as she stumbled over her curse word, “And you are going to regret it.”

He grinned as Mayor Lewis called out that he was going to let the lanterned ship out. Within minutes, the sea was glowing a soft blue light as jellyfish appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Without a word between them, she felt Sebastian reach for her hand and twine their fingers together. 

She told herself it was the sight, in the vastness and beauty of it, that took her breath away and nothing more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and comments are always appreciated!
> 
> We're halfway done with Anne's first year in Pelican Town. We've delved a bit into her background but not much and I'm excited to see her growth from now.
> 
> Also, I've got a Spotify playlist for this story that I update when I find something that I think fits this. The first third I think are songs about Anne's personal history and background and the rest include her time in Pelican Town.
> 
> spotify:user:kylacam:playlist:6k9sBa3lbNxqevTqtFuwQP


	9. Fall Year 1, part i

Anne nervously tossed the quartz between her hands as she walked towards Pierre’s store. The bulletin board had mentioned that it was Abigail’s birthday today and Sebastian had mentioned that quartz was one of Abigail’s favorite things. She took a deep breath and entered the store, waving to Pierre as she looked for the main reason Sebastian asked her to pretend to date him. The quartz felt heavy in her hands as she forced herself to stop the nervous action. 

Caroline let Anne into Abigail’s room, the noise from the video game she was playing too loud to hear the tentative knock at the door. It was strange, being this nervous about something so inconsequential. Knowing that didn’t stop her face from burning when she presented it to Abigail, who looked utterly shocked before pure joy spread across her features. 

“That’s my favorite thing! How’d you know?” her smile faded slightly as she considered the most obvious way that Anne would learn such a thing. Instead of pushing further, Abigail, placed it next to the small collection she had on her desk, the gift looming above all of the others that she had present, “Have you ever played Journey of the Prairie King? I’m stuck on this one level but I think if I had help, I’d be able to get through it.”

Shaking her head, Anne responded, “My parents weren’t really big on letting me play games.” Abigail’s smile dropped slightly at the statement and Anne realized they were both probably uncomfortable in this situation, “But I wouldn’t mind trying if you don’t mind.”

Abigail shot her an excited grin and sat back down on the mound of pillows she had available, gesturing for Anne to join her. The video game in question had cycled through its cheery song as Anne sat, holding the controller gingerly. Abigail expertly ran through the main settings, changing it from single player to multiplayer and starting it without any hesitation. 

“I’m glad that you and Sebastian are doing well,” Abigail told her, staring at the screen in front of them, “but I hope you know I never hated you.”

“Didn’t think you did,” Anne told her as her sprite regenerated. She hadn’t expected this conversation to happen when she stopped by the woman’s room that day. Her heart had jumped into her throat when she did realize where it was going. Yoba, she was not ready for this kind of conversation. “Glad to know there aren’t any hard feelings though.”

She laughed and Anne could hear the traces of bitterness under the humor that Abigail seemed to find in this, “Not going to lie, it was weird - watch out for the right corner, they’re going to sneak up on you -  that you just appeared one day. Sam and I swore that he had made you up - the girlfriend from Zuzu City that he went to see every once in a while and then the fact you just moved here without even telling him? You’ve got to admit it seemed a bit far fetched.”

Anne chuckled, “Yeah, I get that - thanks for the cover - I don’t think either of us really thought it was going to be anything serious in the beginning. I didn’t even know he had told anyone.” She made a point of keeping her shoulders relaxed and her tone light, “I still can’t believe that it’s still happening though. I thought I’d fuck it up or something, to be honest.”

There was a note from the monitor and Abigail let out a noise of triumph as the level changed. “I don’t really get that but that’s between the two of you. From what I can see, I don’t see him ending it anytime soon.”

Setting down the controlled, Anne forced herself to nod and shoot Abigail a smile, “Thanks for that. I’m hoping that’s true. I’ve got to head out, happy birthday again.”

“See you around Anne, thanks for the quartz and hanging out. It was fun.”

The smile she sent Abigail’s way wasn’t forced this time, “Yeah, I really enjoyed it.”

* * *

To: Sebastian   
It’s official, everyone thinks this is real now. I just had a weird convo with Abigail and I think I got her approval??

To: Anne   
Then I guess this can be considered a success then. 

To: Sebastian:   
I think we should give it another season before breaking it off but I don’t think she’d try anything. It seems like she’s over you.

To: Anne   
Yeah...guess that’s the best route. I guess I should start looking for permanent jobs out of Pelican Town now. 

To: Sebastian:   
Were you not? I thought that was the whole point of this??

* * *

The monsters were stronger the deeper down the mines Anne went. She knew that yet she still moved lower, Forest Sword in her hand and pickaxe on her belt. She ate the granola bar without tasting it as her ring sent a dim light in front of her. Gold ore glimmered from the stone and Anne stuffed them into her bag as she moved across the floor. The sound of a rocket going off in the distance put her on edge more, more importantly, the noise of bones rattling made her lift the sword in front of her. Skeleton-like creatures had begun appearing recently and they unnerved her more than anything else in these mines.

It seemed, recently at least, that the monsters were becoming more and more common the further she went, with green mist appearing without warning and the sounds of something firing off ringing in whatever room she was exploring at the moment. 

It was easier to hack at the skeleton-like things than the bugs. They didn’t move nearly as fast as the bugs that dove at her and Anne managed to strike the final blow before the mist had begun to appear again. Already unsteady on her feet from the last round that she had with the bugs, Anne turned towards the ladder, hoping that she’d make it before the swarm came. It wasn’t to be, it seemed. Already, they were appearing, blocking her exit and attacking in pairs. Black spots seemed to appear in front of her after the first few strikes they made against her, even as Anne somehow managed to land a few attacks herself. She fell back on her good leg but there didn’t seem to be an end to the barrage. 

A quiet curse fell from her lips as her sword dropped from her hands and she watched as the ground came up to meet her. 

* * *

Distantly, Anne heard the murmurs of men above her head. Her eyes were heavy and the light too bright for her to force them open. Instead, heard herself groan and twisted her face away from the lights that shone down. 

“Oh good, you’re awake.” She recognized Harvey’s voice, the quiet tones drawing her in. She hadn’t gone out of her way to befriend the doctor, though she knew from talking to Maru that he worked himself to the bone most days. “You gave us quite a scare.”

The light still hurt her eyes but Anne forced herself to look at him, “Thanks for fixing me up, doc.” Testing the movement in her arms, she was surprised to find the action made her a bit sore but didn’t cause more pain.”

“Looks like you lost some of your things down in the mines but that seems like a small price to escape with your life. You’re lucky Linus found you when he did.” Harvey frowned at her and Anne suddenly felt like a child again, “You shouldn’t go that deep into the mines. It’s really dangerous Anne.”

She nodded before her face morphed into an expression of pain, “Yeah, I know. But,” her words trailed off as Anne let a sigh escape.

“But it’s something you need to do?” Harvey supplied. His sigh matching hers when she nodded again, “I can’t make you stop going into the mines but you need to be careful going in there. And not just for me. You’ve got people who care about you in this town. People who would be upset if you got hurt.” Anne stayed silent at the gentle rebuke and Harvey sighed again before gesturing to her clothes and leaving her to herself. 

Move slowly so that the soreness wouldn’t morph into actual pain, Anne changed out of the hospital gear and into the clothes that she had been found in. They would need a deep cleaning but were still salvageable, she thought to herself. It was a small victory. 

Emily met her in town though if she were waiting for Anne to appear, she didn’t say anything about it. Together they walked back to Anne’s home with Emily giving strict instructions that she was to rest and to only get up when absolutely necessary. When Anne argued that her crops needed to be watered and the chicks needed attention, Emily waved her off and told her it had already been done. 

“Your friend - Steve, I think? - he was your emergency contact. Doctor Harvey called him when you were brought in,” Emily told her, smiling face fading into one more serious, “Anne, I don’t think you realize how bad it was. Linus told me that you looked like you were in really bad shape. You’re lucky that you didn’t -”

“Annabelle May, I cannot believe you went back into those mines after we talked last time,” Steve’s booming voice cut Emily off, even from his location on her porch. She watched with wide eyes as he stormed towards her, anger seeming to come off him in waves. The soft hug he enveloped her in though was what brought tears to her eyes. “You can’t go scaring me like that again, Annie.”

Anne burrowed herself closer to Steve, “Shut up. It wasn’t supposed to be that bad.” She let Steve and Emily’s words of disbelief wash over her before adding, “It won’t happen again. I promise.”

“I’ll leave you to it then, Steve it was nice meeting you,” Emily told the pair of them.

His arm around her shoulder was a familiar weight that Anne hadn’t realized she had missed, “Nice meeting you too. I might be back sooner than we think though, what with Ms. Dangerzone over here.”

Emily laughed as Anne sunk into his warmth, "Oh, if I see Sebastian, do you want me to say anything? I saw him going to Sam's and he looked a bit out of it."

Anne hesitated for a moment and Steve jumped in, "I'd rather she get some rest first. If he calls, I'll answer her phone and fill him in. If you see him, you can send him over though." Anne nodded at Emily's questioning look as she stifled a yawn. Yoba, it hadn't hit her how hard until she was back under her friend's protective arm just how much she had missed Steve. A sometimes friend with benefit but always a friend, Steve had been the first person she had met after university at Joja Corp. 

He led her to the small couch she had bought only days before from the lady in the wagon as Emily headed out, content enough to leave her in Steve's capable hands. She went willingly, hissing in pain as she bent to sit. For a moment, Steve disappeared only to reappear with a change of clothes - all ones he knew were kept solely because of their comfort over fashion - that he helped her change into. 

"You're really lucky that you made it out, you know that right?" Steve said quietly as he moved the two of them so that they were laid out on the couch together, "You've got to be more careful Annie."

She nodded but kept quiet, not wanting to argue. She was just one person who just moved to town a few seasons ago. If she were to disappear, the only one who'd really miss her would be Steve. Sure the town might be sad for a while but they'd forget the farmer who had hardly made friends with them. And it'd give Sebastian even more of an out to leave Pelican Town. Her eyes felt heavy as exhaustion tugged her down again, safe and warm in Steve's arms. 

Distantly, she heard the door open followed by Sebastian's voice, safe and warm in a way different from Steve's, as he called for her. But the tug of sleep was too alluring and Anne found herself turning toward's Steve's chest, wrapping her arm around him as she moved to anchor herself closer to him, taking comfort in the rumble as he spoke to Sebastian. She needed to tell him to not worry, that their agreement was still in place, that this didn't need to change anything between them, but the door opened and shut again and all that filled the silence was the quiet sound of television as Anne drifted back to sleep. 

When Anne did finally wake, it was dark and Steve was still patiently watching TV as if it were normal to have a woman passed out on him for the majority of the afternoon. 

"Sebastian came by, apparently Dr. Harvey sent him with some medicine," Steve told her by way of greeting, nodding towards her dining table, "Apparently that should help get you back to normal. He looked pretty freaked out. Sebastian that is, not Harvey."

"To be fair, I don't think it would take much to freak Harvey out either," Anne told him, pulling away and moving towards the small bag left on the table. Reading the directions, she added distractedly, "You should meet him, I think you'd like him." Her eyes darted to the open window and made a mental note to turn down the AC, knowing Steve ran warm. 

Steve laughed, "I'm here for a few days so you'll have to introduce me."

That pulled Anne out of her fog, her eyes darting to stare at him, "You're what?"

Steve rolled his eyes, "I knew you'd complain about that. I'm here for a few days. You get hurt and don't expect me to come down and make sure you're okay? Yoba, your parents fucked you up more than I realized."

"Steve, I'm lying to the whole town that I'm dating someone because I'm an asshole, of course, my parents fucked me up," she shot back, though the comment stung in its honesty, "I don't know, I just didn't expect it."

He was quiet for a beat before speaking again, "Speaking of that, are you sure this should be going on for as long as it has been?"

Instead of answering, Anne cracked the seal of the medicine and drank directly from the bottle. Twisting the lid back on, she knelt to scratch at Nem's cheeks, "I mean I just got the person we really wanted to believe it to tell me she's going to move on so I think we're going to end it sooner than later."

She heard him move off of the couch and focused on the dog in front of her, basking in her attention. Steve joined her on the floor, scratching Nem's back, "You deserve to have someone who actually wants to be with you, not just uses you because he's too chicken shit to tell someone he's not interested or because he wants to sleep with you."

It didn't matter, not in the long run, she wanted to argue. She wasn't going to find someone here that would want her like that, for the long haul. The fact it wasn't in the cards for her didn't bother her as much as it did when she was younger. Or perhaps she had gotten used to the idea that there were still things she wasn't willing to share with someone else. 

Instead, she stood and shot a grin down at him, "If that were something I was interested in, I'd be trying to do that instead." 

Excusing herself for a smoke, she moved to the door, ignoring his protests. From her porch, she saw Sebastian's familiar figure walking towards the north exit quickly. For a moment, she thought about stopping him but instead just lit her cigarette and watched as he disappeared. 

 


	10. Fall Year 1, part iii

To: Anne   
Let’s end this at the end of the season. We got the result we wanted - you shouldn’t need to keep this up more than you need to.

Anne stared at her phone, stubbing out her cigarette before immediately lighting another one. This was to be expected. It had always had an expiration date after all and the fact it felt like her stomach was on the floor keeping her feet company only meant that she had let herself get fooled by the con just like everyone else in the town. She blew out a stream of smoke as Steve moved around in the kitchen. 

It wasn’t as if she couldn’t connect the dots. Given the fact Sebastian had come over only to immediately leave without knocking and the open window where things could easily be overheard, it was a pretty safe bet that he had overheard her conversation. Anne covered her eyes with her free hand. Yoba, it wasn’t supposed to go like this. True, they were supposed to end it but only when it worked for both of them.

“Annie, you have nothing in terms of decent food,“ Steve called from the kitchen, “How are you surviving? And no, granola bars and vegetables don’t count as meals.”

What was left of her cigarette was snuffed out with a sign before Anne started her way back inside. “Yeah, I know. Most of what I make comes from what I harvested. Since I didn’t get a chance to tonight, well, we’re kind of stuck.”

Steve nodded, turning from the pantry to look at her. Whatever admonishments he had planned died when he looked at her, replaced with concern. Without a word, she passed her phone over to him. A part of her - larger than she cared to admit - wanted to simply just move to her room until this strange ache in her heart passed. It was harder than she remembered to push those emotions down, deep enough for her to force a sardonic grin onto her lips, “Guess we don’t need to worry about this getting out of this thing. Sebastian wants to get it over next season.”

The softness in his words would be her undoing if she let it. So instead of answering, Anne dropped to the ground to give Nem attention she didn’t ask for. The dog basked in the attention, her broken ear flopping between Steve and Anne. 

“Annie, c’mon, talk to me,” he told her, moving to meet her by the dog. He grasped her hand lightly and it seemed that was all it took for whatever facade she had up to crumble. She glared at the ground, even as her eyes filled with tears. 

“I’m so fucking stupid,” she muttered, as Nem whined next to her, licking her cheek, “Yoba, I knew I had been out of the game for too long.” A harsh laugh escaped her, “I sound like my dad now. Fuck, Steve I really messed things up.”

“It sounds like you caught some feelings,” he moved closer to her as Nem tried to crawl into Anne’s lap, and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, “You know that’s a normal thing right? To fall for someone?”

Another harsh laugh made its way out of her, “Not if it’s supposed to be fake. Not if he’s supposed to leave Pelican Town for Yoba knows where because he hates this place. I was supposed to be better than this. I’ve been better than this.”

Yoba, she had sent men that her father had felt wronged by to prison by trapping them in compromising positions as a teen. She had been so much better at hiding her heart when she was younger, at pretending it didn’t eat away at her soul. Of course, that was before she had dropped out of college, gone out on her own and started working at Joja Corp.

His arm tightened around her shoulder, pulling Anne from her spiral into memories, “I can’t pretend to understand what you dealt with as a kid. What you’ve told me just lets me know that you’re one of the strongest people I know. Why don’t you just talk to him about it? You might be surprised that not everyone is like Vincent Reeding.”

“I don’t want to talk about it, Steve,” she deflected, fingers going up to rub both of Nem’s ears as she placed her forehead against her dog’s, “Besides, he can do so much better than stay here.” 

Decision made, it was easy to pick up her phone and send a response. Easier than she realized it would be at least. 

“Shut the window will you? I think I’m going to go back to bed. That medicine is going to knock me out again,” she told him, standing and moving to the table intently, Nem following at her heels. Steve opened his mouth as if he were going to say something but shut it with a shake of his head. 

* * *

To: Sebastian   
Yeah, that sounds good. Should we do it a week into Winter? Or should we just do it now before the Festival?

“You look like you’ve been hit by Louis’ truck,” Maru told him, peaking around the computer to stare at him, “What happened?”

“I think Anne and I are going to break up,” he said, hardly aware of what he was saying. His email was open in front of him, job offer shining brightly at him. It seemed to be mocking him, saying ‘Look, you’re getting exactly what you wanted. Isn’t that great? Aren’t you happy about it?’

Maru was saying something, something about being surprised or not believing it, though he hardly heard her. His eyes traveled between his phone and his computer as if he would find some sort of answer if he looked at them hard enough. There wasn’t an answer that he could see. This wasn’t a game of Xalarian Chronicles, where there was a villain at the end of the session that he could beat. In this one, he was the villain who lied to the whole town, who would leave and let Anne pick up the mess that came with their fake relationship. Yoba, he really was an ass. 

He typed a response to the company, asking for a few weeks to finish the project he had been hired on for already. If this really was going to happen, he might as well be ready for it. 

Maru's hand shoved him with more force than he thought necessary but it jarred him from simply staring at his computer monitor, "What the fuck?" She crossed her arms angrily, "What happened?"

"I don't know why you need to know. You might be my sister but we're not friends," Sebastian shot back, regretting the words the moment they left his lips. Maru, despite the harsh words, simply tightened her lips and crossed her arms, not willing to leave. It was the mirror image of his mother when she demanded information that Sebastian was momentarily thrown. "I'm looking for jobs outside of Pelican Town."

"So? You guys were together a year before she moved down here. I don't see why that would stop either of you."

He shrugged, letting his monitor go black in sleep mode as he tossed his phone between his hands, "I don't know. There's a good chance the job is going to be a lot further than Zuzu City was from here. I don't want to tie her down if I end up doing something where I don't want to come back here. She's building up her farm into something great and doesn't need to be tied down by something like that."

It strangely wasn't a surprise that what he said was true. What if he did find the job of his dreams? Would it even be worth attempting to start something real with Anne when she was so easily setting down roots here? The answer was easy enough, even though Maru shook her head at him, "You're an idiot, you realize that right?"

He laughed, "Probably. Hey, will you let mom know I'm going to go out on the bike for a while? I need to be out of this town."

"Yeah, I'll cover for you.”

* * *

Anne had heard the motorcycle drive out of town as she introduced Steve to the Cindersap Forest. The fair would take place tomorrow and, despite the fact she felt significantly better than yesterday, Steve refused to leave Pelican Town until after the event. Which was fine, she'd introduce him to a few members of the town that liked to explore the forest as she kept an eye out for the last foraging item she needed for her fall collection. The Community Center was still strange to her - the Junimos' requests and rewards stranger still - but when she spotted the last item, she grinned brightly.

"I can see why you like it here," Steve told her as they followed the river towards the town, causing her to stare at him, "I thought it'd be too calm for you, not enough action or excitement." His hands were in his pockets and he didn't bother to meet her eyes as they moved in tandem, their feet mirroring each other. "But maybe this was what you needed. Don't know if I'd ever get used to it but you seem happier here Annie."

"The first season was probably the hardest," she admitted, bringing her hands up to show the calluses that had grown, "but I've gotten used to some things here. The people are really close to each other."

Steve chuckled as they made their way into the town proper, "That was probably the biggest culture shock of it all, huh? Realizing that people actually give a shit about you?"

There as a beat of silence before Anne nodded, "Some of them, yeah, it's nice to know that people actually care if I get hurt just because I'm hurt, not because it cuts into their profits." She left it at that, knowing Steven would know she wasn't talking just about Joja Mart. "They don't care that I don't have a college degree or that I prefer to grow flowers more than vegetables or that my chickens just kind of run around the farm with Nem making sure they don't go off the land. I don't know, it's just nice. Grandpa really did me a solid by not giving this to my parents." Yoba only knew what they would have done with it if he had. Probably spent it and let Joja Mart take over the town completely.

"Speaking of them," Steve said quietly, waving as Emily passed them as she headed to the Stardust Saloon, "Have you heard from them lately?"

Anne shook her head, "Just at the end of Summer. They found out I moved and want to know when I'm living now."

He whistled, no doubt remembering when they showed up without warning a few years ago at her work. It had been an ugly scene, one where Anne had come out looking like the daughter who refused to see her loving and frail parents. "I'll try to get some people to post on social media that you're up north again. Maybe it'll put them off your trail some."

She shrugged, heading towards the Community Center, "Can't hide from them forever. It won't be the first time they cause a scene if they do find me."

* * *

"Annabelle! Sweetheart, I can't believe it's been so long," her mother told her cheerfully as she opened her arms for a hug, "Your father and I have been worried sick about you. Dropping out of university like, without warning. And your father just getting out of physical therapy. Surely you knew what that would do on our hearts?"

The smile didn't meet the woman's eyes yet the people around Anne whispered to each other at her words. It took everything in her to not round her shoulders, make herself as small as possible and to keep her head up.

"Mom, what are you doing here? Last I heard you were by the coast looking for a new...venture to run." She kept her tone civil, if distant, like the woman in front of her wasn't her mother but an irritating customer. 

"Well you know how things go, it just didn't work out. Things haven't been the same since you've left the family business, you know. We've been suffering since then," her gaze left her daughter and swept across the room, "Why don't you come back? Surely, this can't be better than working with family?"

Anne took a deep breath, her heart pounding in her throat. It was like she was a child again, being scolded for things that weren't her fault or weren't her problem. "I don't want to go back, mom. I'm pretty happy here and I would appreciate it if you didn't just show up to my job without warning."

Her mother's eyes hardened, "No Annabelle, that's no way to talk to your mother, who you abandoned for some pipe dream."

"Cecily, can you call security?" Anne asked, ignoring her mother as she continued to speak, pulling in the audience that had formed at the increase in volume, "I've got a meeting in five minutes and I need to make sure I'm prepared for it."

Cecily, for her timid demeanor, straightened when her name was called and rushed out of the room. In a matter of moments, her mother was escorted out of the building, to the concerned murmurs of the people watching.

* * *

She left Steve talking to a flustered Dr. Harvey by the fountain as Anne entered the Community Center, still partially lost in her own thoughts. Letting the mushroom fall onto the small picture of itself, she watched as a bright light appeared before a small pack of seeds appeared at her feet, the laughter of the Junimos fading around her. Only one more season before she'd see a fully completed request. There were others: farming, fishing and even more that she hadn't fully explored yet, but the foraging was the simplest to focus on, especially as the difficulty of the rest seemed to increase as time went on.

Tucking the seeds into her backpack, she left the Community Center and was about to head towards the fountain again when her name was called. It was common to see Maru sitting on the bench in town or by the Center and it shouldn't have surprised Anne to see her but she was, even as she headed towards Sebastian's sister. Harvey was laughing at something Steve said, easing her guilt for abandoning her friend.

"What's going on with you and Sebastian?" Maru said by way of greeting. The defensiveness in her words made Anne almost immediately cross her arms, staying by the fencing instead of drawing closer. 

"Is this about me going into the mines and getting hurt?" she asked, "Jeez, it's not going to happen again."

Maru shook her head, "I'm not sure what's going on but he seems to think that the two of you are going to be breaking up soon."

Anne felt like her breath had been kicked out of her chest but she forced herself to laugh, "I don't plan on that. Your brother and I had an argument about my times in the mine. I'm not going to break up with him over that."

"Then who's that guy that's staying with you?"

Yoba, the accusation in her voice made Anne instantly feel like she was back at university.

"That's Steve, he's a good friend. Maru, I don't know what Sebastian's told you but we just had an argument, it's nothing that bad."

Maru's shoulders sagged and her fingers twisted together. , "We're not super close, y'know Sebastian and I. I just want to make sure he's okay and he looked really freaked out today. Don't let him do something stupid, okay? You're really good for him."

Her throat felt tight and Anne ran her fingers through her hair nervously, "I don't know if that's the case but I'll try my best."

"Really, you are. He smiles a lot more since you've been around."

Probably because he doesn't have to walk on eggshells around Abigail, Anne thought but nodded anyway. "I'm glad to hear that. He's a pretty great guy."

And she was going to let him go. That had been the plan, regardless of if she had gotten feelings for him or not. There was more for him in this world than a woman who was scared of letting anyone close with more baggage than she could carry.  At Maru's nod, Anne made the decision that if time was really running out, she'd enjoy whatever she'd get with him, in whatever capacity she'd get. 


	11. Fall Year 1, part iii

"How can you wake up so early?" Steve complained as Anne came back inside from tending her gardens and chicks. The smell of coffee drifted through the house and he had a mug ready for her as she laughed.

"You get used to it. Once the sun's up, it's time to work. Then I'm free for most of the day afterward, it's a pretty sweet gig." She took the steaming mug gratefully, drinking it black. The woman in the wagon - Anne really needed to learn her name - had a special order to coffee grounds as well as a few beans that Anne was excited to attempt the next time the season came around. 

Steve made a face at the lack of creamer or sugar in her drink but instead said, “So when does this fair start?”

“Eight, I think? Also, do you know what Harvey gave me? I don’t remember the last time I’ve felt this good.” Anne lifted her shirt to show her ribcage, specifically the lack of even a bruise. Steve whistled as she lowered the shirt, “Crazy, huh? Maybe I’ll actually play some of the game at this thing. Emily said there a fishing game that I wanted to try out. Apparently, the prizes are pretty decent too.” Rummaging through a few chests, Anne pulled out a few items that could possibly stand up against Pierre's haul. 

Steve grinned at her, a mix of satisfaction and surprise on his face, “If you had asked me last year you would move off to a farm and be excited about a town fair and picking flowers, I would have never have believed it. But it’s a good look on you.” Anne placed her empty mug in the sink as he threw his arm around her shoulder, “Seriously, I’m happy for you,” the two turned towards the door with Steve gently steering her towards the town, “Now, I need to win a prize for that handsome doctor.”

Anne snorted, “Weren’t you seeing - what was her name? - Janet?”

“Janice,” he sighed, regret in his words, “She got a job offer on the east coast. I couldn’t really ask her to stay just to watch movies and chill. Besides, we were at different stages in our life. She wanted to go out and party, I’m a bit more stable in my life. I was thinking of getting a pet even.”

“You might want to start with a plant,” she warned, knowing how flighty her friend could be, “If you manage to not kill that, then you should be fine with a pet.”

“Is that what you did or did you jump into a relationship as soon as you could instead?” Steve asked, sarcasm dripping from the sentence as they entered the town. 

The two passed by the stand of prizes - a bright star caught Anne's eye - before taking in the scene. People from other towns had come in and the town square was more packed than she ever had seen before. Pierre, Willie, and Marnie stood beside their Grange displays, proudly showing off their wears. As Anne started pulling out her items, Steven wandered towards the wheel of fortune to watch Penny play.

Marnie grinned at her and whispered conspiratorially, “Those look really nice. Maybe you'll kick Pierre off his high horse this year. It's about time someone did.”

The idea made Anne laugh with the older woman, “Don't know if that'll happen but I want to try. There's a pretty interesting prize I want to win.”

“Well good luck then dear,” she said with a quick pat to Anne's hand, “just let Mayor Lewis know when you're set up and we can get the judging done.”

It was quick work to put out her items: a diamond she had found in the mines, a particularly good bottle of wine, some fish and vegetables, but the centerpiece had been what she was most proud of - a large sunflower that she had tenderly grown all season. After a few words with Mayor Lewis, the judges were off with their clipboards at the ready. Strangely enough, it made Anne anxious and she found herself wandering the festival in an attempt to distract herself. Slowly making her way past Robin and Clint's table, her eyes landed on Sebastian.

Her heart handed in a way that had nothing to do with the contest but, still, she made her way towards him. Without a word, she pulled out a slightly crushed carton and offered him a cigarette. It seemed as if he would reject it for a moment before he pulled one out, leaning in towards her lighter. 

She inhaled deeply before breathing out, “I keep telling herself I'm going to quit but I never do.” Her eyes stayed on the bench in front of them determinedly, “Stupid, huh?”

“They're gonna kill us one day,” Sebastian agreed. He waited for a beat before asking, “How are you feeling?” 

“Honestly? With the medicine, amazing.” Finally meeting his eyes, Anne was surprised to see the naked concern that was on his face. Instead of digging into those feeling deeper, she moved closer and rested her head in his shoulder, relishing how she didn't have to stoop to reach him. "I'm going to be more careful so don't worry."

He chuckled quietly, "Something tells me that's never going to happen." His arm wrapped around her shoulder, tightening into a hug for a moment as Anne swallowed her questions over the meaning of his words, "I was thinking, we don't need to make a big deal about the breakup. We just let it happen and stop hanging out."

Lewis was announcing the winner but it seemed that Anne could only hear the blood rushing in her ears, "Yeah, yeah that sounds good." The fact she still didn't know how the Ria the Spy series ended jumped into her mind. "Doesn't mean the benefits have to stop until then though so feel free to text me sometime."

His eyebrows rose, "You're still okay with that? Figured you might not want to keep that going."

Anne shrugged, "It beats trying to go to Zuzu City to find someone." The words came out easier than she thought they would and it wasn't a surprise when Sebastian stiffened next to her before moving away. The growing distance almost made her want to take it back. Yoba, this wasn't like her. She could handle this. She would handle this. 

"Yeah, just text me when you're free I guess," he told her, snuffing out his bud.

Anne leaned close and brushed her lips against his cheek, "Steve leaves tonight. Come over."

His eyes were shuttered to her but, still, he nodded as his lips met hers. Distantly, she heard Sam's laugh and even though she knew it wasn't real, Anne let herself get swept away by the rush of emotions that seemed to come whenever she was around Sebastian.

"Tonight," he murmured, pulling away with a small smile.

"Tonight," she repeated, putting out her own cigarette as Sam walked over, congratulating her on beating Pierre but Lewis was looking for her. It pulled her attention away from the man in front of her as her cheeks heated. She took one step, two steps, to separate herself from him before turning and retreating quickly back to the town square. It was ridiculous, how different things seemed now that she realized what she felt for Sebastian. Nothing had changed between them and Anne needed to simply get that through her head. 

Pierre glared at her as she collected her star tokens and emptied her Grange display though Marnie waved him away. "He's just bitter he lost. Serves him right for bragging about winning the last three years."

Anne laughed quietly, "I'm just excited that I had an opportunity to show off some of the flowers. They're probably my favorite thing I've gotten to grow so far."

"Well, they're lovely dear," Marnie told her kindly, "You did a wonderful job with them."

"I'd like you to have this one," Anne pushed the sunflower into the older woman's hands, "I won't take no for an answer."

Marnie, for all of the bluster that she made about the unexpected gift, grinned brightly and held the flower close to her chest. It made Anne match her smile, warmth spreading as the older woman walked away. Her eyes caught Steve’s and the two shared a smile as he leaned against the fencing that kept the animals in and talked to Harvey. Taking a moment to watch the pair, Anne had to stop herself from laughing too loudly. Steve, bless his heart, was talking to Harvey animatedly while Harvey was petting one of Marnie’s rabbits within the pen. 

Making her way around the fair, Anne listened in as Penny was arguing with a man about how she hadn’t cheated at the game besides them but instead used basic math before moving towards the fishing game. It was a simple game, with fish eager to bite that pushed Anne slightly closer to her goal of purchasing that mysterious star-like fruit. However, it quickly lost her interest and, as Steve joined her again, she found herself drawn to the game of chance. Like the games her father had run, it wasn’t just chance. Watching Steve win and lose gave Anne a general idea of how much to bet and on what color. It was only a matter of time and patience until she gained enough tokens to buy what she wanted.

The fruit tasted of the candied violets she had as a child and a hint of whiskey with a burn after it that she only got after kissing another smoker. In moments, it was gone and all that was left was longing for what she no longer had. Still, she plastered an easy smile on her face as Steve walked her back to her home, waved him off with promises to visit the next time she was in Zuzu, to be safer in the mines (or better yet, never go down there again), and to try to talk him up to Harvey the next time she saw him.

When all that was left was the quiet snores of Nem in the kitchen, Anne found herself releasing a sigh of relief and she let her hair down and moved towards the shower. While the day had been great and entertaining, she relished the moment alone under the showerhead. Distantly, she heard her phone ring - Sebastian’s ringtone - and ignored it. At the moment, the heat enveloped her and it was all that mattered. She’d focus on their situation when she had a chance to collect herself from whatever tailspin she had allowed herself to fall into. 

Time ceased to matter as she stayed under the water, making herself ready for the night and wiping away the day’s grime. It was only when she heard the distinct knock at the door and Nem’s answering bark, did Anne exit, pink and warm from the shower. Barely drying her hair long enough so that it would no longer drip on the floor, she made her way to the door, her heartbeat jumping as she moved closer.

“Hey,” she breathed the words as the door opened, her shoulders dropping from the tension Anne didn’t realize she still held. 

Sebastian’s eyes darkened as he took her in before moving into the house and shutting the door behind him, “Yoba, it’s like you’re trying to tempt me here.”

“Well if it works,” Anne shot back, with a laugh. Her eyes landed on the bag by his side, “What’d you bring?”

As entertaining as it was to see his cheeks redden the first time, Anne was nearly positive she would never get over the sight of Sebastian blushing around her. It didn’t stop him from opening the bag in front of her, “Figured you might want to read the rest of the series. I probably won’t have much room if I get the job I’m aiming for. The pay’s going to be shit initially so I’ll need a small apartment.” The words tumbled out, rushed without thought and he blanched as he stopped, “That’s not to say they’re my castoffs or anything. I just figured,” he paused for a moment, “we had fun reading them together. I thought you just might like to borrow them to finish it.”

“If you get this flustered with me in a towel, I’ll have to do it more often,” Anne teased, taking the bag from him. Teasing was easy, joking about sex was simple. There wasn’t a stabbing feeling in her chest when he talked about leaving. She rested the books on a spare chair in the kitchen before reaching for Sebastian’s hand and pulling him towards her bedroom, “C’mon, you’ve got that job in the bag. We should celebrate.”

He hesitated for a moment and, in that brief span of time, Anne wondered if he felt as reluctant to end whatever they had as she was. It was only a moment though and instead of following her, Sebastian pulled her close. Her eyes met his before his hands were framing her face and his lips were on hers. Her arms wrapped around his neck, closing her eyes and letting herself get swept away in feeling him against her again. Sebastian’s actions weren’t rushed like Anne thought they would be, how she partially wanted it to be if only to make herself believe that this was still an additional benefit of pretending. Instead, he moved her across the room with an assuredness that she hadn’t noticed before, pressing her against the wall by her room. The chill of the wood against his warmth only made her cling to him more.

His hands traveled up her shirt, fingers tightening against her side before pulling it off her. His lips pressed to her neck, nipping as he went. His hands cupped the back of Anne's legs, letting her legs wrap around his waist. Her hands carded through his hair, actions more frantic as they moved towards her bed. Sebastian followed her as she fell on top of the comforter.

Sudden pain bloomed on her forehead and, with matching groans, the pair pulled apart. Anne met Sebastian's eyes before the two broke out in quiet laughter. Still laughing, Sebastian leaned over and threaded his fingers through her hair. The kiss this time was slower, more deliberate and pulled her close.

“Yoba, I'm going to miss this,” he murmured, as Anne tugged off his shirt. 

“The sex? Yeah, same. As long as you don't disappear on me, you can still come over,” Anne gasped as his fingers circled her clit. She hastily shoved off her jeans to give him better access. “Do you know when you're going to move?”

Sebastian's fingers moved against her with more pressure and he kissed her hard, “No idea. I'll let you know though.”

“You fucking better,” Anne told him, moving against him with the same ferocity, “I'd hate to have to come to find you only to kick your ass.” She gasped as his fingers entered her.

He laughed, kissing her again and pulling her on top of him, “I'd expect nothing else from you.” 

There was more she wanted to say, more she wanted to ask but instead, Anne rose his fingers until she broke apart. At least that way she didn't have to risk being left alone again. Tugging at his pants until they toppled to the ground, Anne slid him into her. She breathed deeply at the fullness of Sebastian inside of her. 

Sebastian leaned up and pulled her closer to him, kissing her as they moved in tandem. It was as if time had slowed and they were the only two left in the world. When she came again, Anne found herself gasping his name as he thrust into her. His fingers spasmed against her hips and Sebastian groaned against her neck.

Pulling the blanket over them both, Sebastian wrapped an arm around her waist, “Gonna stay the night if that's fine.”

Anne nodded gently, taking his hand in hers, “Yeah that's good with me. I'll make some coffee in the morning.”

“This is why you're my favorite,” he yawned, even as Anne's heart tore a bit more at his words.

* * *

 

The Fall weather did anything, it made getting up easier. The cooler weather had Anne shuffling through her plants, tightening her jacket around her. By the time she was back, the only trace left of Sebastian was a filled bowl of dog food for Nem, a bag of books, and a partially empty carafe of coffee. Tugging her jacket tighter against a chill that wasn’t there, Anne shoved a few granola bars into her pockets and downed a cooling cup of coffee before heading to the beach. It was a bright and sunny day, which meant that there was little chance that Sebastian would be at the docks. 

She waved to Sam as her feet hit the white sands of the beach, drifting towards him as she spotted a shell she knew Willie was partial to buying. Vincent, already playing in the sand, gestured for her to see the sandcastle he was building. 

“Dad used to take us to the beach when it was sunny and the weather was nice,” Sam told her, by way of greeting, “Figured I’d keep it up for now.”

“Hey, Sam, Dad’s still coming home soon right?” Vincent called, turning his attention from the castle to his older brother. Out of the corner of her eye, Anne watched Sam nod and the tension seemed to melt off of the younger boy, “Oh good. I heard on the TV that there was something going on with the war and lots of people are getting hurt or dying. You don’t think that happened to Dad, right?”

“You shouldn’t always believe what you hear on TV, kiddo,” Sam said. He let out a sigh as soon as his brother’s back was turned and ran a hand through his hair, “Yoba, maybe I shouldn’t get his hopes up. There’s a good risk Dad’s not coming back from this thing.”

The words flew from Anne’s mouth before she had the chance to filter them, “You did the right thing. Kids should have hope and there’s not nearly enough of it in the world.”

“Yeah, I really want him to hold onto his childhood for as long as he can.”

She nodded, hands twisting slightly against her pack, “Yeah, there’s too much in the world that makes a kid grow up too early. He’s lucky to have someone like you to look out for him. I wish I had someone like that when I was his age.”

Anne expected Sam to leap onto that opening but instead, he nodded, “The bands coming together nicely. It was weird but Sebastian really wanted Abigail to be the drummer. Wouldn’t give a reason but, hey, I don’t pretend to know what’s going on in his mind.” She bit her lip to hold back the onslaught of questions she had. How long had Abigail been in the band? Why hadn’t anyone wanted to let her know? Was it even her place to ask Sam for these answers? Before she had a chance to speak on it, he let out a quiet laugh, “Relax, you can see the panic on your face. Abby’s over Sebastian. And the two of you are good, right? It looked like it from what I saw at the fair.”

“Yeah, we’re good, I guess,” Anne told him, drawing a line in the sand with her shoe.

“Then you’ve got nothing to worry about. Look, I don’t want to keep you from doing whatever it is that you’re up to today, go have fun. Vincent and I are about to go get lunch anyway,” Sam grinned, “You’re a really good listener. Thanks.”

She nodded, waving over to Vincent before heading to the edge of the docks. Sitting in her typical space, Anne cast off and let the hook sink into the water. The sound of the waves lapping against the dock was soothing in a way she hadn’t realized she needed. It was her lucky day it seemed. Every time it seemed as if she were going to sink into her doubts, a fish caught the line and pulled her out again. Her pack filled quickly and, after selling what she had to Willie and eating a few more granola bars, the day was spent out on the docks picking up more fish. 

As Anne sat on the dock, feet barely missing the water below her and the sun setting in front of her, she realized that she could wait and find out what was going on in Sebastian’s head as he figured it out or she could find out for herself. Her phone was nearly out of her bag when it rang, a familiar tune that she had learned to dread. It was easy to let it go to voicemail and, as Anne stared at the dark screen, she let out a sigh of hopelessness. Perhaps today wasn’t the day she’d pester Sebastian. Perhaps she’d wait for another day where she hadn’t used up all of her luck on fishing. 


	12. Fall Year 1, part iv

It seemed that time was going both impossibly fast and slower after Sebastian had left her that day. He hadn’t come over to her place again and their texts had thinned out into near non-existence. That in itself shouldn’t have come off as a surprise but it settled in well next to the expected hurt that seemed to come with it. Spirits’ Eve was around the corner and it was easy to admit - at least to herself - that Anne was not ready to spend the entire night with him again knowing that it was going to end. 

It put her in a strange funk while she tried to figure out what she was going to do in the meantime and when Haley stopped her from entering the Cindersap Forest, hands on her hips as if she expected a fight from Anne, Anne didn’t argue with the declaration of “You need a distraction.”

When Anne didn’t push back, Haley grinned, “Come with me to Zuzu City - I need to pick up a few things I can’t get here and Louis let me borrow his truck.” There was something about how the blonde smiled that made it seem that the mayor didn’t have much of a choice in letting his truck be used for the day. “I’ve heard you’ve got more sprinklers on your land that you don’t need to water them as much, right?”

Her lips tilted into a slight grin as Haley nearly pushed her into the truck, though it faltered slightly as her eyes landed on the familiar dark hair she had come to associate with Sebastian walking side by side with Abigail - presumably to band practice. Quickly, Anne turned her eyes to the ground before forcing herself to look up again and got into the truck, the sound of the slamming door and Haley’s laugh drawing the attention of the pair. Abigail grinned and waved but a not so small part of satisfaction bloomed in Anne’s chest at the conflict that appeared on Sebastian’s face for a split second before he also waved. 

The tightness that seemed to wrap around Anne’s ribs released the further away she moved from Pelican Town and, once the pair hit the highway, she breathed a sigh of relief. 

“What happened with you and Sebastian?” Haley asked without preamble a moment later.

So that was what this was about. 

“What’s going on with you and Alex?” Anne shot back as Haley laughed. 

“I should have expected that huh? Alex and I have been together back and forth for years. He’s got some stuff he needs to work through and I can’t do it for him. But when we are together, there’s always something missing, we’ve thought about trying to add a third to our pair but,” she shrugged, “There’s not much in the way of options in town.” She rested for a beat before continuing, “Gonna tell me what’s going on then?”

The way she said those words made Anne suddenly feel like she was seven again, in school as her teachers asked why she consistently missed so many days. The caring in Haley’s voice had her wanting to curl up and deflect the question. Instead, Anne pulled one leg up to her chest and clutch it tightly, “I think I might be making a huge mistake.”

Haley nodded, “It be like that sometimes.” The bright tune the played from Louis’ radio continued on in the silence the hung between them. “When I realized that I was in love with Alex but still wanted someone else in our relationship, I felt like I was screwing something up. Like, we weren’t supposed to have those kinds of feelings or whatever. So I ignored them and we almost ended things for real because we couldn’t talk about how we were feeling.” Out of the corner of her eye, Anne watched as Haley’s fingers danced across the steering wheel as she turned into a quiet shopping district of Zuzu City. “Granted, we were young, dumb and full of hormones at the time but still, we had to have a pretty serious conversation about that and it wasn’t  _ super _ fun but I think it brought us closer together.” She placed the car in park and grinned over at Anne, “And that’s all I’m going to say on that.”

The shopping center that Haley had taken her to seemed to be a hodgepodge sort of stores, ranging from photography tools to a hair salon to a coffee shop to a comic book store. It was the sign on the door that had caught Anne’s eye. While she had never played Solarian Chronicles, she had listened to more than one conversation between Sam, Abigail and Sebastian to know that the new expansion coming out was worth noting. The fact that this store had them in stock made her take pause as Haley continued on - agreeing to meet up again after they had both finished their shopping. 

It was easy to agree to that - Haley seemed a bit nervous to actually admit what she was in town looking for and the small crowd of people in the alley nearby made Anne all the more eager to enter the store, where it looked relatively quiet.

The door rang softly as she entered, eyes immediately focusing in on the signs regarding the Solarian Chronicles: Return of the Fey. The soft music and quiet murmurs brought back memories of happier times when she lived in Zuzu City when she was able to blend in more and be far less recognizable than what she was in Pelican Town. It was an easy purchase - buying the upgraded set to match what Sebastian had - despite the cost. Purchase in hand, she roamed the streets of the square hesitating in front of the hair salon before a familiar voice caught her attention.

“Annabelle! What a surprise to see you here!”

The familiar drawl of Anne’s mother formed a pit of dread in her stomach as Anne watched the woman make her way towards her, her father barely visible from the crowd that he had drawn for his card game. Though not taller then she, her mother’s presence seemed to tower over Anne even as she settled a bright grin on her daughter. “I am so glad we ran into each other. It has been too long and you never answer my texts anymore.”

“Yeah, sorry, I’ve been busy lately,” Anne mumbled, shoulders hunching.

Her mother - Maureen - waved off the apology, “It’s fine that you don’t have time for us. Just a hello every once in a while would be appreciated. You know your father is getting on in years - he misses you too-”

“Annie there you are!” Haley’s voice rang out cheerfully, pulling Anne away from her mother and nearly behind her. Her lips brushed against Anne’s cheek, “I’ve been looking for you love, I thought we were going to meet by the car.”

“Ah, sorry, I got distracted,” Anne told her, forcing herself to sound sheepish as she held up her bag, “Did you get what you were looking for?”

“Annabelle, were you going to introduce us?” Maureen asked, her tone far more strained, “It seems things have changed after all. I thought you were seeing that professor at your old university. Did the divorce not go through?”

“Oh him?” Haley asked with a dismissive laugh, linking her fingers with Anne’s, “He was a waste of time wasn’t he, dear? I think the day you realized that and let him go was a great day for both of us, right? Best date ever.”

Maureen nodded stiffly, “Well it’s lovely that you’re happy-”

“Mom, I’m really sorry but we were just killing time until our appointment,” Anne cut her off, moving closer to Haley and sending her an intimate smile, “We really can’t miss that if we want our future to get bigger.”

“It was really nice meeting you!” Haley told her cheerfully, tugging Anne towards where the two had parked their truck, “Seriously, we’ll have to do dinner or something later on once things have settled down a bit more.”

* * *

 

“Your mom seems like a real peach,” Haley told Anne as they drove through downtown Zuzu City, “Seriously? Who brings up an ex like that? And did you see her face when I kissed your cheek? I’m sorry if that was too forward but you looked like you would have been literally anywhere besides there when I saw you.”

“Yeah,” Anne stared down at her hands, fingers twisting between each other, looping constantly, “She can be like that sometimes.”

Without looking at her, Haley placed her hand on Anne’s moving ones, “I told you, we look out for each other here. Whatever happens with you and Sebastian - good or bad or whatever - you’re one of us and I’m not going to let anyone hurt us.” A beat passed before she added, “Also, did you want to get your hair cut? I thought I saw you in front of that store before that lady came by.”

“I was thinking about it,” she hedged, “but I’ve never really done much for it. I’m used to having long hair - dunno what I’d do if it was shorter.”

Haley grinned, a devious look that Anne wasn’t sure she had ever seen on her, “You should do it. Just surprise the hell out of everyone with a new look because you want to. And, y’know, let me live vicariously through you. I am too scared for that stuff. I know a place though.”

That pulled a laugh out of Anne, “Why am I not surprised? Fuck it, let’s chop it off.”

* * *

 

Stardust Saloon’s jukebox played the same music as it always did and Emily had a draft of beer already waiting for her. With a smile, Anne took the drink and made her way to the backroom, kissing Sebastian on the cheek before moving to sit next to Abigail.

“You cut your hair!” Sam pointed out, surprise in his voice. 

It was more surprising to see the glass in her hand and, when Anne pointed it out, Abigail nodded and laughed.

“We’re celebrating,” she explained, confusion tinting her tone. With a quick glance around the room, Anne realized that Sebastian and Sam both had drinks as well. “Sebastian got a job as a developer! No more contract work for him,” she hesitated for a moment and it seemed that the noise in the bar had disappeared as Anne met Sebastian’s eyes, “Didn’t he tell you?”

Her hair, which now barely grazed her shoulders felt light compared to the heaviness that seemed to press on her chest. Though Anne tried to catch his gaze, Sebastian instead turned his attention on the cueball in front of him, “No. I guess he didn’t.” It was easy to drain the beer - the glass was small anyway; “But that’s really amazing. I’m not surprised at all, Sebastian is really great. I need another drink to actually celebrate with.” There was pity in Abigail’s eyes but she didn’t try to keep Anne by her, nodding as she stood and walked away. 

Shane didn’t grumble as Anne sat beside him and she guessed there was something on her face that gave her away since Emily placed a glass of whiskey in front of her instead of Gus’s brew. She sipped it, leaning over as if she were talking to Shane in case the others grew concerned about where she had gone off to. Thankfully, he didn’t seem to take it as an invitation to talk to her and the two sat silently as they stared at their respective drinks. 

It was bound to happen and it wasn’t as if she wasn’t happy for him. It was just a surprise and if she were being honest, Anne hated that surprises seemed to happen in bulk. First her mother, then this.

“Em, I’m going out for a smoke, mind putting my drink to the side?” she asked, pushing her chair back. If Emily responded, Anne didn’t hear her as her eyes locked on Sebastian’s. Tilting her head towards the door, she pulled out her pack of cigarettes and slid one out and between her lips before making her way to the exit, her intentions clear. He followed a moment later and the tightness that seemed to wrap around Anne’s throat eased just a bit.

“I meant to tell you sooner,” he said, leaning on the Saloon’s walls. It was an eerily parallel to their initial meeting in Pelican Town, “I wasn’t exactly sure what to say.”

“Don’t worry about it, I’m happy for you. Really,” Anne told him, waving off the pseudo-apology as she struggled to light her cigarette. The air around them felt colder than the actual weather outside, “It’s what you wanted after all, right? And it’s right on time for our plan anyway so it works out, yeah?” Finally, the light caught the cigarette and she inhaled deeply.

“Guess so.” 

She hated that she couldn’t read his face at that moment.

“Should we just end it then? Be done with it and stop worrying about all of this?” The words felt bitter on her tongue but it somehow managed to become even more so as Sebastian nodded, “Then there that. Let’s just say we ended it here and now and not worry about what happens.”

Finishing off his cigarette, Sebastian nodded again and made to go back inside. It was as if she didn’t have control of herself for a moment and, when she did, Anne realized that she had grabbed Sebastian’s arm, holding him back. 

“Seriously, I’m really happy for you,” she told him, squeezing his arm gently before releasing him, “You’re going to be amazing - more than you already are.”

Her heart thumped against her chest as he smiled towards her, reaching out to brush her hair out of her face, “You were the best girlfriend I ever had - fake or not.”

“Then fucking text me like a normal person once in a while,” she teased, pulling away, “I’m not going anywhere. I’ve got a farm to run.”

“Yeah,” he murmured and, for a moment, he seemed to hesitate before opening the door to the saloon again as Anne lit another cigarette. 

She’d go in a few minutes - once she had cleared her head and her eyes stopped watering - and drink at the bar with Shane. 


End file.
